Far Horizons
by Neuropsych
Summary: The Tok'ra have found some technology that they can't use - but hope that Sam can figure out for them anyways. (oh yeah, did I meniton it's a trap) Rated for language, violence, and maybe other things that come along.
1. 01

**Far Horizons**

_Author's note: This story will be taking place in mid March. Sam's two months from her due date. Any technology that I make up for this story is pretty much just made up, so if you're one of those people that understand the Stargate world technology better than I do, please don't review for the sole intent of correcting me on something technological. And don't forget, this is an AU, so it doesn't have to go the same direction that the show is going (thank goodness)_

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything I didn't make up. I'm not making money off this story – or any others I write – and I'm not getting anything for it except for a lot of practice at typing. So don't sue me.

_That said; here we go!_

OOOOOOOOOOO

"I don't know, Sam… if the surge of power going through the couplings reaches a critical level before the protection grid kicks in the you're going to blow the entire-"

"It'll kick in, Ian," Sam assured the young man standing beside her in her lab. "All it takes to trigger it is a tril-"

"What are you two up to?"

Ian and Sam both turned at the sound of Jack's voice coming from the doorway of the room, and Sam smiled as he walked across the room, coming over to look at the device that was sitting on the table in front of them. Right beside him, an ever present shadow, was Jaffer, who regarded Ian and Sam cheerfully.

"Sam's going to blow the mountain sky high," Ian said in a conversational tone, giving Jack a nod by way of greeting.

"No I'm not," she said, shaking her head and pointing to a blinking light on the device. "The protection grid is going to keep any surge that might occur from overloading the-"

"Gah!"

She stopped at Jack's pained noise, and smiled when he raised his hands in defeat.

"Does Hammond know you're blowing the mountain up?"

She nodded.

"He knows we're working on this power source, and knows that if it works, we're going to be able to vastly increase the amount of-"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Have fun. When you're done, why don't we go get some lunch?"

"We're going to have to eat out," Ian said, poking a testing rod into a small slot on the device. "We'll probably find someplace in Montana that isn't blasted into smithereens."

Jack looked at Sam again.

"That big?"

She shrugged.

"It's not going to happen. There are plenty of protection overlays and couplings that will keep the device from overloading. We should-"

"But it _could_ be that big?"

"Theoretically."

Jack frowned.

"It won't happen," Sam assured him. "Have I ever blown you up?"

"Well…"

"Almosts don't count."

"Then, no…"

"And I won't this time, either. It's a simple matter of-"

What it was a simple matter of, though, Jack didn't hear. Just then alarms went off around the base, causing all three of them to jump.

_"Unscheduled offworld activation! Repeat! Unscheduled offworld activation! Security teams to the gate room!"_

"Come on!"

Jack and Ian bolted for the door, both of them hesitating as they realized that Sam wasn't in any condition to race for the gate room at anything faster than a waddle. She scowled and waved them on.

"Go on, I'll be right behind you."

"Stay with Sam, Jaffer," Jack ordered the lab, who had headed for the door as well. At the command, though, the big dog stopped instantly, and looked over his shoulder at the Major, who was on her way to the door, too. It was Jack's way of making sure that she was protected – especially since you never knew what was coming through the gate at a time like this, and if it got past the security forces, it'd have to go through Jaffer to get to Sam.

She made it to the door just in time to see the two of them turning a corner at a full run.

"_I_ used to be able to do that…" She muttered grumpily to the dog, who was trotting patiently beside her, intent on his job of guarding her and far too busy to answer her.

OOOOOOOOOO

"What's going on?" Jack asked Teal'c, who was already standing at the doorway to the gate room, his staff weapon in his hand and his eyes intent on the gate – although the alarms had been turned off. At his side was Jack, the yellow lab watching the gate, although he looked over and wagged his tail cheerfully to greet Jack and Ian.

"It is the Tok'ra." Teal'c said.

"We're sure?" Jack asked.

"Indeed."

Ian looked towards the Stargate as the iris was opened. He could already see that the Stargate was active behind it even as it opened. The Tok'ra, huh? He had yet to actually meet one of them – and was kind of excited at the possibility. Although he'd met the Jaffa – and liked them – he'd never met a Goa'uld. Even a friendly Goa'uld – as if that oxymoron could ever be used when referring to the Goa'uld.

"What do they want?" He asked, stepping into the room as Hammond came through the other door, emerging from the control room.

"They did not say," Teal'c answered, even though the question had been rhetorical. He and Jack moved over to the ramp with Hammond and Ian, although they made sure they were out of the line of fire of any of the big guns – just in case it was a trick of some sort.

The first figure emerged from the gate just then, catching the attention of everyone in the room. It was a young woman – she looked to be only a few years older than Ian – and dressed in the typical scanty clothing that the Tok'ra women seemed to enjoy wearing so much. Ian had to admit he didn't mind it at all, and his eyes followed her down the ramp as she came forward. _This_ was a Tok'ra?

He was so intent on her, as a matter of fact, that he completely missed the arrival of the second figure until he was standing almost right beside the woman. Only then did he look up, and both he and the newcomer gasped in surprise.

Jacob Carter recovered first.

"_Ian_? What are you doing here?"

"_Jacob_?"

Hammond looked at both of them, surprised by the familiarity of the greeting.

"You two know each other?"

Jack smiled. Hammond hadn't been present at the Thanksgiving dinner where Ian and Jacob had last seen each other, and apparently Jacob hadn't mentioned that he knew Ian when he'd stayed with Hammond that evening.

"It's a small world, General," Jack told him.

"A lot smaller than I thought," Jacob said, looking at the cadet. "What are you _doing_ here? I thought you were at the academy?"

"What am _I_ doing here? What the fu-"

"Dad."

Everyone turned when Sam spoke, her arrival heralded by the arrival of Jaffer as well, who joined Jack and the others quickly.

Jacob smiled; his brown eyes soft when he regarded his daughter – his very pregnant daughter. God, she looked so much like her mother had – and probably didn't even know it.

"Hey, Sammy." He said, moving down and giving her a hug – and he didn't care who saw it. "We found something you have got to see…"


	2. 02

"Found something?" Jack asked, looking behind Jacob and the female Tok'ra that had come through the gate with him to see what they'd brought. There wasn't anything there, and the Stargate deactivated.

"It's not with us, Jack."

_Duh_.

"Won't that make it sort of difficult to see?"

Jacob ignored him, looking at Ian, who was staring at him.

"Does your dad know you're here?"

"Sort of. Does he know _you_ are?"

The retired general smiled and shook his head.

"No. And let's keep it that way, okay?"

"What did you find, Jacob?" Hammond asked, breaking into the conversation. While it was very nice that the two of them knew each other – obviously through Nathan, and now that Hammond thought about it, it made plenty of sense – he had a base to run, and Tok'ra on that base.

"We don't know, George. We can't get it to work. It looks like some kind of ship of some sort."

"What makes you think _we_ can make it work?" Jack asked.

Jacob smiled.

"Not _you_, Jack. _Sam_." He ignored Jack's scowl, and turned to Hammond. "Why don't we go sit down? This might take a bit."

Hammond nodded, and looked over at one of the security members.

"Have someone call Doctor Jackson – he's up top at NORAD talking to Doctor Faul."

"Aye, aye, Sir."

The Marine headed to the phones, and everyone else headed for the briefing room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"About a month ago, Pia and a small group of Tok'ra were sent to a planet that we were fairly certain was deserted. As you know, we're always looking for deserted places to set up new bases – or back up bases in case one of the main ones are compromised."

Ian glanced over at the woman who'd come with Jacob. This was Pia, and much to his annoyance and discomfort, she'd taken the seat next to him when they'd sat at the briefing table. And had inched closer. Which might have been enjoyable if not for several factors – the biggest of which being that he wasn't _interested_ in her getting any closer.

It was one thing to appreciate the way her clothing fit – and he admitted that took him by surprise when she'd come through the gate all half-naked and long legs and perfect body – but it was another to have her close to him like this. He couldn't concentrate, and she didn't seem to notice the way he kept inching his chair away from her – although Jack and Sam both did, and Sam couldn't stop smiling, even though she hid it fairly well.

Pia gave Ian what could only be called an inviting smile when she caught him looking at her, and Ian scowled, and moved another inch or so to his left. If he kept this up, he was going to be in Teal'c's lap any minute.

"So was it deserted?" Daniel asked, from the spot next to Sam.

Jacob nodded.

"They didn't find any people, but they did find several ruins – mostly small buildings that could only have been houses – but also a few larger ones, and inside of one of them was… this."

He handed Sam a stack of pictures of what looked like a coffee can on its side with a window cut into the front. Another photo showed the back end open with a ramp leading down onto the ground – obviously the way into the ship, if it was, indeed a ship.

"It doesn't _look_ like a ship," Jack said, looking at the picture in Sam's hand. "Where are the wings?"

Jacob shrugged.

"Not all ships have wings."

"They do if they want to move in any kind of atmosphere," Jack said. He was a pilot, after all. He knew these things. "This thing would glide about as well as Jaffer."

Daniel had taken a couple of the pictures from Sam and was looking at them as well.

"This thing is Ancient."

"It doesn't look that old," Jack said. "Just a little dusty."

"Not _ancient_, Jack," Daniel said. "_Ancient_."

Jack scowled, but Sam caught on.

"As in builders of the Stargates _Ancient_?"

Daniel nodded, pointing to the photo he was holding. There were symbols on the walls of the interior of the ship.

"These are written in Ancient."

"What do they say?"

Daniel shrugged.

"It's probably just instructions – like don't step behind the yellow line, or something… I'll look into it."

Ian scowled, distracted, and moved another inch away from Pia. This time Jacob noticed, and gave the young woman a look that plainly told her to stop. She frowned, but moved her chair back to the spot she'd started in, much to Ian's relief.

"Anyways," Jacob said, breaking into the conversation. The three of them had already proven to him that he'd made the right call in bringing the photos to the SGC. "We'd like to have Sam come back with us, and see if she can get the ship to work – or at least figure out if it's not working because it's broken or for some other reason."

Jack frowned, looking at Jacob.

"Sam's pregnant, Jacob."

Jacob shook his head.

"I know, Jack."

"Then you know that I'm not really fond of the idea of her going offworld just now." His voice had lost the light tone he'd been using when discussing the ship with Daniel and was now completely serious – as it always was when he was discussing Sam's safety.

"It's safe, Jack," Jacob said. He, of course, was just as concerned about Sam's health as Jack was. "The planet is deserted, and the only people there are Tok'ra."

"I don't care, Jacob," Jack told him. "We-"

"Going through the gate itself won't hurt the baby, Jack," Jacob told him. "She's not so far along that –"

"Would you two _stop_ talking about me like I'm not here?" Sam said, interrupting them before they could start arguing.

Both men turned and looked at her, and Ian couldn't help but smile. Good for her.

"I don't see why I can't go take a look," Sam said.

Ian frowned.

"But-"

Sam turned to look at Ian, her gaze unwavering and challenging. She was tired of being stuck in a safe lab while the others went offworld and missed it far more than they'd ever understand. Besides, it was safe, right? Or her father would never have suggested it.

"If Daniel's right and the technology is Ancient – an Ancient ship, even – then we can't pass up the opportunity to get our hands on it," she told the room. All of them except Pia and Jacob were showing signs of not liking the direction this was going. Even Jaffer looked tense. "I want to go have a crack at it."


	3. 03

"But-"

"Jack, it's _too_ good an opportunity to pass up," she repeated. "It's not like I'd go alone, or anything."

"No," Jack said, scowling at Jacob. "You're not going to go alone. We'll go with you."

It wasn't like he could argue with her about this, after all. He knew she wanted to do it, and knew that she would never forgive him if he tried to keep her from doing what she thought was her job – and he _supposed_ it was.

"It really _is_ safe, Jack," Jacob assured him. "There's no one on this planet. It's deserted."

Jack's scowl didn't fade, and Sam noticed that Teal'c and Ian were wearing similar expressions of concern – and even Daniel didn't look like he was all that sure of the wisdom of her going offworld. But Sam was. She looked at Hammond – who was just as hesitant – and frowned.

"They need me to check it out."

Only the fact that Hammond knew – absolutely _knew_ – that Jacob would never do anything to put Sam in danger could ever make him agree to this. That and the fact that Jack was correct; she wasn't going to go alone. SG-1 would go with her.

"Colonel O'Neill, assemble your team. And don't forget the dogs."

Jack looked ready to explode, but his voice was calm – way too calm if you knew him – when he answered.

"Yes, Sir."

He glanced over at Sam, giving her a look that none of them – including _her_ – could read, and headed for the door with Jaffer behind him. Ian, Teal'c, Jack (the dog) and Daniel were on their feet immediately and following.

There was silence in the briefing room for a long moment, and Sam stood up.

"I'd better go get ready, too."

_And_ she needed to have a talk with Jack, apparently, too.

Hammond nodded, dismissing her, and when she was gone Jacob looked at Hammond.

"It's safe."

"It'd _better_ be."

OOOOOOOO

She found them in the locker room – exactly where she'd expected to find them. All four of them were changed before she walked in (which was a relief to Ian) and as she entered they were strapping on holsters. The heavy weapons they'd be bringing with them they'd still have to pull from the armory, but their personal firearms were in their lockers.

"Jack…"

He looked over when she said his name, and sighed. He knew she was upset by his reaction, and he didn't want her upset, but the last thing he wanted was for her to go offworld. That had been the whole point of bringing Ian in, after all – so _she_ could stay where it was safe.

"Sam."

She came over to him, sitting down on the bench he had his foot up on to tie down the thigh thong on his holster.

"This could be an important find," she said.

"I know." He did, he supposed.

"A ship that belonged to the Ancients…"

"I know, Sam."

"It's worth the risk…"

He shook his head. She didn't understand at all. How had that happened?

"_Nothing_ is worth risking you, Sam."

"I'm not going to be at risk, Jack," she told him. "And even if something _did_ come up, it wouldn't be the first time that we were in danger."

"Before, I knew you could get away from the danger," Jack countered. "It's not that easy, now. You're not going to be able to maneuver like you-"

"I know," she said, interrupting, putting her hand on his leg because that was the closest part of him. "And I'll stay right beside you guys every minute, I promise."

She really wanted to go, and she didn't want this to come between her and Jack – like it had shown every sign of doing. He hesitated, and she knew he was thinking about it.

"You can even surround me."

He sighed.

"Just stay close to Jaffer, okay?"

The dog was uncanny in his ability to spot danger long before Jack was able to, and Sam would be best protected by being close to Jaffer – although Jack had no intention of letting her out of his sight, either.

Sam nodded.

"I will."

"Ian, see if you can find Sam a vest…"

Not that it would do anything to protect her and the baby if something happened, but he'd still feel better if she was wearing it.

Ian nodded, and headed for Supply, checking the load in his Glock and making sure he had extra clips for it stashed in his vest and holster both. He felt the same way Jack did; nothing was worth Sam's health – even though he didn't really even get a look at whatever it was they were going to go look at thanks to Pia.

OOOOOOOO

SG-1 – complete with Sam – entered the gate room about twenty minutes later, and Hammond was pleased to see they were practically bristling with weaponry. The more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of this mission, and the less he liked the idea, the more he was considering telling Sam that she couldn't go. Friendship with Jacob or not, and friendly relations with the Tok'ra be damned. Only the fact that Jack had armed his team to the teeth – they were carrying

90's, as well as side arms, knives and Hammond could see the telltale sign of backup weapons in the bootlegs of Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and Ian – kept him from doing just that.

"Colonel?"

Jack scowled, not even able to smile when Pia went over and stood beside Ian, who took a step to the right and almost tripped over Jaffer.

"We're ready, Sir."

Normally he would have told them to be careful, but he knew this time he didn't need to waste the breath.

"You have a go."

Jack nodded, and they all waited for the gate to dial the coordinates Jacob had given the Sergeant while they'd been waiting for SG-1. When the gate activated, Pia stepped up the ramp, her hip brushing against Ian as she walked past him – much to Ian's annoyance. Jesus. He looked over at Jack, who nodded, and gestured for him to follow her, and Ian, Daniel and Teal'c all went up the ramp and through the gate, taking point before Jack would allow Sam to go. Jaffer and Jack (the dog) took flanking positions on each side of Sam as she walked up the ramp, and the three of them disappeared at the same time.

"Relax, Jack." Jacob said.

That wasn't going to happen, though. Not until he got her home safely.

He gave Jacob a look that plainly told him nothing had better happen, and then followed the retired general up the ramp and through the gate.


	4. 04

"Well, _this_ is certainly pleasant…"

There was no hiding the sarcasm in Daniel's voice, and Ian definitely agreed as he looked around. The planet they'd gated to was hot, arid and windy. There was nothing but a sun baked plain of withered brown grass as far as the eye could see to the front, and behind them was a sun baked plain of what might be rocky depressions and gullies leading off into a more hilly area that looked just as dry, although maybe a mile in the distance was what might be a forest of gnarled looking trees blocking their view of anything in that area until the land rose up above it far off in the distance.

Jacob waited until everyone had had a chance to put on their sunglasses, and he took a position beside Sam – it wasn't that often he had a chance to see her after all, and he wasn't going to waste this one.

"The ruins are about a half mile that way," he said, pointing towards their rear. "It's not a difficult walk, Sam."

She shook her head. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean her legs had stopped working. She was in very good shape – although that shape was a little _round_, right now – and a walk wasn't going to kill her.

"Let's go," Jack said, gesturing for Daniel and Teal'c to take point while he and Ian fell back to rear guard, leaving Jaffer and Jack (the dog) in their spots by Sam. Pia lingered behind the group to take a position beside Ian, who scowled and looked over at Jack, obviously asking for a little assistance. Jack, however, wasn't any help at all. For one thing, he was far too tense to care about the games the Tok'ra woman was trying to play with Ian – since he knew that Ian wasn't going to be interested – and for another, he'd had to deal with Anise forever, it was only fair to let Ian have the same exposure. So to speak.

The Tok'ra fell into step with Ian, who looked over at her once and then resumed looking around for any possible dangers, his machine gun held slightly up in case he needed it quickly.

"So… you're Ian, right?" She asked. "Jacob says the Tau'ri do not use their titles with those they are familiar with…"

He scowled. They were _not_ familiar with each other, and he wasn't going to chitchat.

She waited for him to say something, walking easily beside him, but when he didn't, she simply continued.

"Are you _always_ this quiet?"

He looked over at Jack, again. And noticed that even though he was tense, there was just a hint of a smile on the Colonel's face. Well, that was just fucking great. Ian's scowl deepened.

"Perhaps sometime during this mission you and I will have a chance to get to know each-"

"I have a girlfriend," Ian told her, interrupting her.

"So?"

"Ian, go ask Jacob what kind of terrain we'll be facing," Jack said, deciding to have a little mercy on the cadet after all.

Ian nodded, and quick-timed it forward, catching up with Jacob and Sam easily, who were in the middle of a conversation about how she was feeling. The retired General grinned at the expression on Ian's face.

"Problem?"

"Are they _all_ like that?"

"Has she propositioned you, yet?"

"I don't know… I think she was getting to it…"

Sam smiled, but Jacob was the one that answered.

"The Tok'ra aren't as conservative about some things as we are, Ian. They tend to be blunt and not very subtle. It probably has something to do with living life on the edge of death all the time."

"Yeah?"

Jacob nodded.

"You'll get used to it. They're not so bad."

"Yeah? How many have _you_ slept with?"

Sam snorted, and was suddenly seized in a momentary coughing fit, while Jacob blushed, not at all ready for that question. He gave his daughter a look that was annoyed and guilty at the same time, and waited for her to stop coughing – just to make sure she was okay.

"Why don't you go back and walk with Jack?"

"He sent me up here to ask you about the terrain ahead."

Jacob looked back at Jack, who now had Pia walking close to him. Obviously, though, the Tok'ra woman had recognized early – or from her short time at the SGC – that Jack wasn't someone to hit on, because she wasn't making the moves on him, and was gesturing to the landscape ahead of them, apparently answering his question for him.

"The village or whatever it was is just down the hill from where we are," Jacob told him and Sam, more than happy to change the subject. "You can't see it, but there's a drop off just ahead, where the trees are, and just at the bottom are the hangers."

"Hangers?" Sam asked.

Jacob shrugged.

"They had a ship in them – at least we _think_ it's a ship – we didn't know what else to call them."

"How many are there?"

"Two hangers, one ship." Jacob answered as Teal'c and Daniel came to a sudden stop ahead of them, looking back and waiting for the others to catch up. Jack disengaged himself from Pia and came up to join them as well, and all of them looked down at the drop off.

There was a small path leading down – it probably wouldn't be that difficult, and it really wasn't all that steep – and at the bottom were a series of small buildings and two larger ones, all in various stages of ruin.

"Wow."

Jack scowled, noting that there were several forms – undoubtedly Tok'ra – moving around one of the bigger buildings.

"Control yourself, Daniel." He looked over at Jacob. "How many Tok'ra are here?"

"Several," Jacob answered, shrugging. "We've started growing tunnels under ground, even though we have some activities above. The planet is a good one for a base."

"_Growing_ tunnels?" Ian asked.

"The Tok'ra have these crystals that-"

"He can have a lesson later, Jacob," Jack said. "Let's go."

The sooner they got going, the sooner they'd get back. Jack didn't like the Tok'ra all that much, anyways. Certainly not enough that he wanted to hang out with them any longer than necessary. Instead of gesturing for Daniel and Teal'c to take point, he walked ahead himself, with Teal'c beside him. This way he'd be able to decide just how risky the trail down was and make the decision whether Sam would need a little extra help.

Sam looked over at her father, apologetically.

"He's a little tense."

Jacob smiled. A lioness protecting her cubs was _a little tense_. Jack was strung tight. But he understood, and couldn't hold it against him.

"I know, Sam. Let's go."


	5. 05

As unhappy as Jack O'Neill was to see all the Tok'ra, there were several Tok'ra who were just as displeased to see the small party top the ridge above them.

"They've arrived…"

The voice was deep and arrogant, and filled with animosity.

Several others turned and looked as well, shading their eyes against the sun to see the small party start heading down the trail towards them.

"Selmak is a _fool_ for allowing this…"

The speaker was a large man – muscular and powerfully built, with skin the color of rich mahogany and vivid green eyes that were alive with the fury that the symbiote within him was feeling.

"The _Tau'ri_ might be able to get the machine working where we can not, Cato," countered another – this one smaller, but still with the characteristic deep arrogance in his voice.

"And then what?" Cato snarled. "We let _them_ have it? The Tau'ri are more trouble than they are worth."

"They are not to be taken lightly," another said. She was the only female in the group – and older than any of the others, even though her host was one of the youngest. "They have defeated and killed several System Lords."

"They were fortunate, Veda," Cato said. "That is all. It is easy to seem dangerous if you have luck on your side."

"The facts speak for themselves," Veda said, unwilling to back down from Cato or anyone else. "The Tau'ri are a formidable people – and Jack O'Neill is not one to be underestimated."

"Bah…" Cato spat on the ground in disgust. "O'Neill! Selmak might think highly of O'Neill and the others, but _I_ will not be fooled by them – and I will not give them technology that will help us more than them."

"How do you intend to keep them from getting it?" Another male asked, curiously as he watched the group getting closer. "O'Neill has-"

Cato looked at the group coming as well, and sneered.

"He has no one. One Jaffa, one fighter, a boy and a pregnant woman."

"And the dogs."

"_Pets_." Another sneer. "What do I have to fear from their pets? If O'Neill tries to take the ship or the technology from us, I will make sure he never tries it again."

"Selmak will not a-"

"Let _me_ worry about Selmak."

OOOOOOOO

"Well, _they're_ a friendly looking group…"

Of course, Ian didn't know the Tok'ra – obviously – so he didn't know how they normally looked, but he could plainly tell that Jack didn't like the Tok'ra – mostly – and his time with Bra'tac had taught him that the Jaffa and the Tok'ra didn't get along all that well either. Their truce was an uneasy one at best.

"They're not so bad," Jacob said, shrugging. "They just don't trust strangers."

Which was fine with Jack, because he didn't trust them, either, although he didn't say anything. He did, however, come over to walk right beside Sam as they approached the group of Tok'ra waiting to greet them, with Jaffer taking his position on the other side, flanking her and watching the group they were approaching suspiciously.

They stopped when they reached the small group, and Jacob stepped forward, but it was Selmak who spoke – causing Ian to stare at him once more when his voice turned deeper than he'd ever heard it before.

"Cato. Cyril. Veda. Rach. Bern." He pointed to each of the Tok'ra as he named them, and they each made a motion with their heads in one way or the other as a form of acknowledgement to the introduction. Jack had never met any of them before, and neither had any of the others, but Daniel tried smiling diplomatically as Jacob turned and introduced them, now.

"This is Jack O'Neill, Sam, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson and Ian Brooks."

Cato stepped forward, looking at Sam's belly for the briefest of moments before giving her a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You are the daughter of Selmak's host?"

Sam nodded.

"Then you are welcomed here…"

He reached his hand out to take hers in greeting, but a low growl from the black lab standing beside Sam stopped him and drew his attention to it. Jaffer was normally fairly picky about who he let close to Sam anyways, and there was no way he was going to let this one touch her. Not unless Jack said it was okay – and Jack didn't say a word, especially since _he_ didn't want the Tok'ra anywhere near Sam, either.

"He's a little overprotective," Sam said to Cato, giving him a smile.

The Tok'ra gave her another smile – just as false as the first one – and looked down at the lab again, withdrawing his hand.

"A _noble_ champion to be sure…"

Yeah, he didn't mean that, and they could all tell.

Cato turned to look at Ian, next, and the Cadet reacted predictably to the slight curling of the Tok'ra's upper lip. He scowled.

"Is the boy your apprentice, O'Neill?"

"Fu-"

"Ian."

Jack knew immediately the reaction was going to be, and cut him off before he could even say it. He had a feeling Cato was just trying piss them off, and he'd found the quickest way to anger Ian on the first attempt. But Jack didn't want him to know it. A lesson Ian was going to have to learn.

"Ian's here because he's smarter than pretty much _anyone_," Jack said. "If Sam can't make your little toy work, then Ian probably can. Unless you piss him off and he tells you exactly where to shove it."

Cato hadn't heard that particular phrase before, but it didn't take him much to figure it out. The Tok'ra scowled, and started to say something, when Veda stepped between Cato and Jack.

"We are _allies_," she said firmly. "And should not be having a discussion like this." She looked at Cato pointedly, waiting for him to step back, and he did, finally – although he still scowled – and then smiled at Jack and Ian both. "We are grateful the Tau'ri are willing to attempt to help us."

Sam smiled as well. A relieved smile, since she was definitely glad someone had stepped up before Jack was forced to kick the big Tok'ra's ass. It definitely wouldn't have been the right way to start a relationship with this group, and since Jaffer would have definitely jumped into the fight, it saved the Tok'ra a lot of bloodshed – even though they didn't know it.

"We're here to help, if we can."

Veda nodded, and looked at Jacob.

"Refreshments?"

Jacob Carter nodded.

"I think we could all use a chance to get out of the sun and cool off."

Some more than others, perhaps.


	6. 06

_Author's Note: You guys are being just a little spoiled right now, since I've had the last couple of days off, so I've been able to post even more than usual (yay). But I go back to work tomorrow… awww… so it's back to twice a day – hopefully._

OOOOOOOOOO

The building Jacob and the others led them into was one of the large ones, and it was empty. It was also a lot smaller than Jack had expected it to be, barely large enough for the shelving that was against one wall and the large table that was dominating the middle of the room. Obviously, this one had been turned into a sort of supply room by the Tok'ra to store things in while they waited for their tunnels to be finished.

"Have a seat," Jacob said, motioning them all to the table – which was surrounded by chairs. The Tok'ra sat down on one end of the table, with Jacob taking the spot at the end, and wondering how things had managed to get so tense so quickly.

Jack sat next to Sam, motioning for the others to spread out just a little. Teal'c didn't sit down at all, but Daniel and Ian took chairs across from Sam, and Pia sat beside Ian.

"Don't mind Cato," she told him, softly, reaching out and patting his hand before he could realize what she was doing and move it out of her reach. "He's just testing you. He's not so bad, really."

"Great."

Ian took his hand back and moved his chair an inch or two over towards Daniel's, and before Pia could move hers accordingly, a couple of Tok'ra brought trays holding fruit slices and glasses of water, which were set in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. Of course, they'd only walked a mile at the most, and all of them were in good shape, even with the dry, windy conditions, so none of them were desperate for refreshments.

Always willing to try new things, Daniel caught up a slice of something that looked like a red orange and popped it in his mouth, but Teal'c just watched those in the room, his face impassive to everyone except those who knew him best, and Jack and Ian both watched Cato – who was watching them.

"So…" Sam said, more to break the deafening silence and tension than anything else. "Why don't you guys show me what you've found?"

Jacob nodded and stood up, as did Sam, Veda and Cyril. Jack stood up as well, having no intention of letting Sam go anywhere without him.

"The hanger isn't really all that large," Jacob said to Jack. "With the ship in it, there's barely room for more than a few people to-"

"I'm going, Jacob."

"I know, Jack. I was just thinking that maybe a couple of the others might-"

Jack scowled.

"Daniel, you're with me and Sam. Teal'c, Ian… why don't you get to know our… _hosts_… a little better?"

Ian scowled, looking over at Cato – who obviously didn't like Jack giving out orders on _his_ base – and wasn't bothering to hide the fact.

"Cato, you stay here," Jacob said, his voice deep once more. Now Ian knew that this had to be the symbiote talking, and made a mental note to have a long talk with Jacob about that when this mission was over.

"I would _prefer_ to go with you," Cato said, standing.

"There is no room. I will let you know if we find anything."

Apparently, Ian decided, Jacob was in charge around here – or maybe his symbiote was – because Cato made sure Jacob didn't like the order, but didn't disobey it or say anything else. Instead, he sat back down, glaring at everyone in the room.

Jack gave Ian a look he couldn't decipher – probably telling him to behave himself, the cadet decided – and gestured for Jaffer to follow him as he and the others filed out of the room, leaving Teal'c and Ian and Jack (the dog) alone with Rach, Bern, Pia and Cato – all of whom were staring at them, although Pia was the only one who didn't look at them suspiciously.

There was a long silence, and then Cato spoke up, looking directly at Ian.

"If you are so _smart_, why didn't O'Neill take you with him to look at the ship?"

Ian met the Tok'ra's malevolent gaze with his dark eyes. Still stinging from being called a boy, he wasn't in the mood to make friends. Besides, he didn't _know_, really, and would have liked a chance to see what the Tok'ra had found, since he'd missed out on looking at the pictures during the briefing thanks to Pia's distractions. Of course, he _wasn't_ going to admit that he didn't know. That just wasn't something he'd do.

He shrugged, affecting the lazy drawl that he knew pissed people off and leaning back in his chair just a little.

"He must have decided you'd miss my company if I left."

Cato made a noise deep in his throat that sounded almost like a growl, and Ian knew he'd scored a hit. It almost made him smile.

"You're _impertinent_, boy," the Tok'ra said in his deep, arrogant voice – still the symbiote speaking Ian noticed, although all the other Tok'ra had used regular voices when they'd been talking. "I don't like that. Or _you_."

Ian shrugged, again, not at all annoyed at being called a boy, now, because he knew the guy was trying to piss him off. Why not call him a nose-picker, or a fart sniffer?

"What's not to like?" Ian asked, innocently – it was the best innocent look he'd ever managed to pull off in his life. "I'm cute and funny and old people and little kids flock to me at the park."

Well… _one_ out of the four wasn't too bad, he supposed.

Cato started to stand up, but Teal'c simply shifted his position slightly, which made the staff weapon in his hand dip just an inch or so – reminding the Tok'ra that Ian wasn't the only one in the room, and definitely _not_ the one he needed to worry most about. A low growl from beside the Jaffa reminded Cato as well that the yellow lab was still in the room, too, and although Cato didn't recognize the danger the dog posed, he was well aware the damage a staff weapon could do. And he sat back down.

"Perhaps you would be more comfortable outside?" Pia asked Ian and Teal'c. "We could give you a tour of the buildings. You might find them interesting."

Ian shook his head at the same time Teal'c did. This was where Jack would come looking for them if he needed them, and this was where they'd be. Besides, Teal'c had already decided that wherever Cato was, that would be the place that needed watching most.

"We are fine here, thank you," Teal'c said.

Ian nodded his agreement; young enough and cocky enough that he was pleased that he'd managed to get a little dig in on 'ole Cato. Even if it meant being left out of the loop on the alien ship…


	7. 07

Up close and in person, the thing _still_ didn't look much like a ship, Jack decided when Jacob and the other Tok'ra led him, Sam and Daniel into the hangar. It looked like-

"It kind of looks like a coffee can…" Daniel said, looking at it just as curiously as Jack and Sam were – moreso, really, because there were symbols on it that the others probably didn't even realize were _symbols_ and not decorations. He'd have to figure out what they said – his Ancient wasn't all that great, yet, but he was getting better every time he was exposed to the language.

Jack glanced over at Daniel, but he had to agree.

"Coffee cans don't fly, Jacob…."

"If they had wings they could," Jacob said, heading to the back end of the coffee can – er- _ship_. He'd been right about there not being much room in the hangar for more than the amount of people that were there, as proven by the fact that he had to edge through a narrow space between the wall and the ship.

"So could pigs," Jack muttered, but only Sam heard it.

She smiled and headed for the same narrow space Jacob had just moved through. Had she been even 8 months along instead of 7 and a half, she'd never have been able to get through, but she did, and she waited for Jack and Jaffer to join her at the base of the ramp at the back of the ship.

Looking inside while she waited, she could see what looked like a cargo hold. Not a large one, but it _looked_ like one, and the inside definitely made it look more like a ship than the outside did.

Jacob and the other Tok'ra were already up the ramp and inside it when Jack joined Sam, and the retired general looked down at them.

"We think it might be out of power or something," Jacob said. "We can't-"

At that moment, though, Sam and Jack – with Jaffer and Daniel behind them – all walked up the ramp, and immediately a set of lights and wall panels lit up.

Jacob stared at Sam.

"What did you do?"

Since she hadn't done anything but walk up the ramp, there wasn't anything she could tell him.

"Nothing."

The other two Tok'ra looked at Sam as well, with expressions Jack couldn't read, but decided he didn't like. He moved slightly, stepping between them even though he wasn't looking at them.

"It looks like a ship on the inside," he said, looking around, and keeping one eye on Sam while the other was always on the Tok'ra.

"It's definitely Ancient," Daniel said, looking around as well, and moving up to the front of the craft, where there were seats for the pilot and a co-pilot – or maybe for a navigator. He saw the panel on the consol between the two seats and all the symbols and saw that some of them were the same as the symbols on the Stargates – but not all of them. He wondered what they meant, but before he could say anything to anyone, Jack and Sam had joined him, and again lights came on all over the interior of the craft as they did.

"How didyou fix it, Sam?" Jacob asked from behind them.

She looked at him, and shrugged again, mystified. She didn't know anything now that she hadn't known five minutes ago, and had no idea at all why the lights were coming on.

"I don't know that I did," she said. "I didn't touch anything."

"Maybe it's on remote control," Jack suggested, sarcastically. "Just a big people trap waiting for the right amount of warm bodies before closing up and flying away with us."

Daniel looked around, just a little alarmed at that, but Jack gave him a partial smile.

"Just kidding, Daniel."

"Actually, Jack," Daniel said, sitting down in the pilot's chair, but carefully not touching anything. "I don't think the Ancients would ever make something like that. A people trap, I mean."

He looked around him, awed by the ship he was sitting in.

"This thing could be _millions_ of years old, you know…"

Sam went over and sat down in the other seat, already trying to figure out what made it work. Unlike Daniel, she _was_ a pilot, and wasn't at all afraid to touch things. But nothing turned on, as near as she could tell.

"Maybe you need to give it a whack?" Jack suggested, still keeping more of his attention on the Tok'ra than on the ship he was in. "It's old… it might need a kick start."

"Or maybe the battery's drained…?" Daniel asked.

Sam frowned. There was really nothing more annoying than having a dozen people looking over your shoulder when you were trying to figure something out. And Daniel and Jack counted as at least a dozen each.

"Just give me a little time to check it out guys," she told them. "It's not like I can just walk into the thing and make it work, you know?"

"Sorry, Sam…" Daniel said, truly contrite. He should have known better – especially since he hated it when people did that to him; asking him what writing said only moments after his first look at it.

"Why don't we leave you alone with it, Sam?" Jacob said. "I'll go tell the others that you've managed to get the lights on, at least." Hopefully that would keep the rest of the Tok'ra – Cato especially – from continuing to doubt the wisdom of bringing her and the rest of them to the base.

"You do that, Jacob," Jack said, making it clear that he had no intention of leaving with him. "Daniel can start trying to translate what those symbols say and I'll… give my expertise where it's needed…"

Which meant he'd stand around.

Jacob smiled.

"You do that, Jack."

"I shall stay as well," Veda said, coming over to stand by Jack – but not too close since Jaffer insinuated himself between the Tok'ra and his Jack.

"I'll be back in a minute," Jacob said, heading for the ramp.

OOOOOOOO

"Okay…" Ian said, his dark eyes glittering with amusement. "Here's one… This horse walks into a bar, and the bartender says 'hey, why the long face?'"

The Cadet grinned, more amused by the glowering scowl on Cato's face than the joke itself – which wasn't all that surprising, since the joke wasn't all that great.

"Get it?"

"What is a horse?" asked Rach, who had been listening to the jokes as well – all of which had been completely baffling to the Tok'ra, and annoying to Cato in particular. Which was why Ian was _still_ telling them.

"A large solid-hoofed herbivorous mammal –"

Ian was interrupted by the door to the hangar opening, and Jacob coming back in, looking extremely pleased.

"Sam's got it working."

Cato stood up; giving Ian an irritated look in response to the immediate gloating one the cadet gave him.

"Already?" Bern asked, surprised.

Jacob couldn't hide the pride in his expression – after all, Sam _was_ his daughter, right?

"She's a _genius_, what can I say?"


	8. 08

They all left the storage hangar, even though Jacob said there wasn't going to be room for all of them in the building with the ship. Cato, especially, seemed determined to check out Jacob's claim that the alien ship was already working – after minimal amount of time by the Tau'ri looking at it. He didn't seem to believe this was possible.

"The Tau'ri – and Major O'Neill, especially – have long since proven they are far more resourceful than they seem," Teal'c said, with just a brush of smugness.

Cato sneered at the Jaffa.

"What do _you_ know?"

Teal'c was completely unruffled by the look, and glance he gave Cato was disdainful.

"The Tau'ri have destroyed several system lords. How many can _you_ account for?"

Ian looked over at Cato as well, and saw that the jibe had scored – even better than all his bad jokes had. The Tok'ra was actually turning red, and Ian wondered if he was going to take a swing at Teal'c – which would have been a grievous error in judgment.

Obviously Cato decided the same thing, because he visibly forced himself to calm down, looking derisively at first Teal'c and then Ian. He was going to say something – it was on the tip of his tongue – but just then Daniel came out of the hangar they were heading towards.

The archeologist saw them, and headed for them.

"That thing's amazing," he said. "If it can fly – and it does look like a craft of some sort on the inside – then we should-"

"If it can fly?" Cato echoed, looking at Jacob. "You said the Tau'ri had already made it work."

"I said the lights were on," Jacob said. "And they are. Sam's good; she'll make it fly if anyone can."

"Actually," Daniel said, wondering why there was so much tension coming from Cato. "Sam wants Ian in there with her. Something about him being good with engines and theories of… something or the other…"

Cato looked at Ian, who tried to look modest and failed.

"This boy doesn't look like he can dress himself without his mother's help. What makes-"

Teal'c stepped forward.

"Perhaps someone should teach you a lesson in manners."

Cato sneered.

"You, _Jaffa_?"

Ian stepped between them, more than willing to take up his own defense, and his hand somehow ended up flat on Cato's chest, pushing him back. Since the Tok'ra had not expected Ian to do anything of the sort – he'd pretty much assumed that the boy was all talk hiding behind the large Jaffa – Cato was actually rocked back a bit at the push. But he recovered quickly, striking at Ian's hand to move it – only to find it wasn't there anymore, which made him over-balance and almost fall.

He roared in anger and took a step towards Ian, who waited, poised for the attack.

"That's _enough_!"

The voice was once more Jacob's symbiote, and Ian and Cato both stopped. Cato because of Selmac, and Ian because of Jacob.

Selmac was livid, as was Jacob.

"We're _allies_, and you _will_ act like it, or I'll have you removed from this planet," Selmac said, looking at Cato, first, and then Ian. Ian scowled, but it was nothing compared to the look Cato gave Jacob. A look that seemed to transcend hatred. But only for a moment, and then it was gone so quickly that most of them wondered if they'd actually seen it. Not Ian, though. He'd seen it and wouldn't forget it.

Daniel was looking shocked at how quickly and easily things had almost come to blows, and Teal'c was looking smug because he hadn't needed to stand up for Ian, after all. The boy was proving that he wasn't afraid to take on a larger foe, and that appealed to the big Jaffa.

"Ian?"

This was the first time Jacob's symbiote had ever addressed him, and Ian turned his attention from Cato's glare to Jacob.

"Sam wants you. Why don't you go see what you can do to help her?"

Ian nodded, even though Daniel could see that the cadet wouldn't have minded finishing what had been started. Ian was as quick to anger as anyone Daniel ever met – and that included Jack – and that was saying something. Luckily, the cadet obeyed orders put to him – and he respected and _liked_ Jacob, which made it easy to do what he said.

Ian didn't turn his back on Cato – _that_ was a lesson he'd already learned – but he did head for the hangar, and the others followed, Cato trailing behind with Bern.

"Are you _trying_ to start hostilities with the Tau'ri?" he asked, disturbed by just how quickly things had escalated.

Cato shrugged.

"They are nothing."

"They are our allies…"

Cato shrugged again, and Bern scowled; the Tok'ra did not have the resources to simply shrug off allies like Cato seemed to be trying to do – especially allies that were as formidable as the Tau'ri were. He knew what they'd done, after all, and with far less technology than the Tok'ra had access to. He moved off with the others, leaving Cato to walk alone – which was fine.

As the others walked, Cato made sure that none of them were actually looking at him, and then reached inside his belt and pressed a button on a hidden device. A slight vibration told him that it had been activated, and with a smile that held absolutely no cheer, the Tok'ra followed the others toward the building, ignoring the fact that above them, things were progressing quickly.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"So what have you learned so far?"

Sam sighed, and looked over at Jack, who was standing behind her, looking back towards the Tok'ra and not really at her as much.

"No more than I knew the last time you asked, Jack," she told him. "Three minutes ago."

He knew he was annoying her – and distracting her – but he couldn't help himself. He was uneasy, and Jaffer was uneasy – probably feeding off Jack's own emotions – and he wanted her to get it figured out so they could get the hell out of there and get her back to the SGC, where she could blow things up in the relative safety of her own lab.

"Sorry."

She smiled, understanding why he was doing it, which made it a little more bearable – although no less annoying.

"When Ian comes in I'll have a little more help and another perspective – so it shouldn't take long to figure it out." Hopefully. Otherwise Jack was going to drive her crazy.

Jack looked back towards the rear hatch, as if staring at it would make Ian show up that much quicker.

And suddenly a large explosion outside rocked the building – and the ship they were in.


	9. 09

It was a mark of how inexperienced he was in such matters that Ian looked around when the first explosion rocked the ground near by. Everyone else – including Daniel – all looked up, knowing that was where the completely unexpected attack was coming from. Ian followed their gaze, and sure enough, there were several small aircraft coming in from out of the direction of the sun, blinding him as he looked at them.

"Get under cover!" Selmac yelled, waving at several of the smaller buildings that were closer than the empty hangar they'd left, and the larger one they had been heading for.

The group scattered somewhat – although they all ended up running towards the hangar that held the craft. Another explosion rocked the ground close by, and the ground rumbled and shook in response, sending them all to their knees – although they were all up again in an instant.

Just as Jacob reached the open door of the hangar, Veda stuck her head out, obviously coming to see what was happening, and Jacob ran right into her, knocking both of them to the ground. It saved their lives. A bolt of energy struck the side of the hangar where they'd been, coming from behind Ian and Teal'c. Both of them looked back, and saw Cato holding a small weapon, pointing it at the rest of the Tok'ra with a sneer on his face. Of all of them, he was the only one who didn't seem surprised at the attack, and now Teal'c knew why.

He lowered his staff weapon, readying to aim it at Cato just as the weapon in the Tok'ra's hand turned toward him, and Teal'c was pretty sure he was going to be too late firing – even for him.

A blur of yellow struck then, though, and powerful jaws snapped shut on the Tok'ra's wrist, slashing his hand wide open. With a roar of pain, Cato dropped the weapon as Jack turned and crouched, prepared for another spring at the Tok'ra as soon as he could find a target. The yellow lab ignored the explosions around him as the aircraft fired at pretty much anything they could – although for some reason, they avoided the main hangars, which had to be the best targets.

Teal'c fired his staff weapon at Cato, but an explosion rocked the area right as he fired, causing his own shot to go wild. The Tok'ra dove to the ground, which put him in a vulnerable position for another attack by Jack, but before the dog could attack again another craft came in – incredibly low – drawing everyone's attention.

Teal'c raised his staff weapon and he fired, striking the craft, and it veered off, only to have another come in and take its place, laser fire strafing the ground around them. From the relative safety of the side of the building, Daniel raised his '90, firing fully automatic at the incoming craft but doing little damage.

"Jack!" Daniel called, wondering what was going on inside the building. If there were traitors out here, he knew there were possibly traitors inside as well – and Sam was inside.

Ian realized that, too, as did Teal'c.

"Jack!" The Jaffa wasn't calling O'Neill, though. The yellow lab stopped in mid-spring as he was ready to attack Cato once more, and turned towards Teal'c, who gestured for him to head for the open door of the hangar. The dog was just as good at following hand signals as he was at verbal commands, and immediately he raced for the opening, where Teal'c knew he'd give O'Neill any extra assistance that might be needed – at least adding in another formidable weapon to help guard Sam.

Ian had his Glock in his hand, now, and as he was running towards the hangar, he was also looking for a target – but the other Tok'ra that had been with them had already found cover, and were nowhere to be seen. Besides, he wouldn't have been able to tell who was a friend and who was a foe. The only one he knew for sure wasn't, was Jacob.

"Ian! Get in here!" Jacob yelled from the doorway, holding a weapon in his hand and pointing it up at yet another approaching craft. Again the weapons fire from the craft didn't lock onto the building – only the ground around it – but there wasn't time to wonder at the diversionary tactics just then. Jacob was more concerned about getting everyone under cover.

The cadet ducked into the building just in front of Daniel, dodging Jack (the dog) who had dodged in just in front of them, and almost cracked his head open when he ran headfirst into the craft. Stunned, he reeled backwards, and was grabbed from behind by Teal'c, who had entered as well.

"We must get to-"

Whatever it was they had to get to, they never heard. There was suddenly a screaming in their heads, and even though they all instantly covered their ears, it was too late. Almost as one, they fell to the floor of the hangar, knocked out.

OOOOOOO

Cato was livid. He'd had the Shol'va in his sights! He could have killed him then and there – which wasn't his primary objective but would have been a definite boon. And then he'd been attacked. Attacked by the Jaffa's _pet_, no less! And now his hand was torn open, and he'd lost the primary weapon.

He forced himself to calm, though, as he rolled over, watching the dog running back towards the hangar that held the Ancient ship. He had other weapons. And two that were far more important, really. Two that could do more than just kill one Jaffa. He reached into his tunic and pulled out a small sphere, pressing down on an unnoticeable button and holding it as he scrambled to his feet and ran for cover that would allow him to reach the other opening of the hangar without being seen from those inside.

Dodging craters made in the ground from weapons fire – weapons fire that was doing a good job of keeping everyone's heads down – Cato ran across the last stretch of open ground and ducked next to the door of the hangar, tossing the small sphere into the room and covering his ears as he ducked back.

The thing didn't blow up as one might have expected. Cato could have killed everyone in the building – the craft overhead that he'd called could have done that – but he needed one in particular alive, and that meant they all had to be alive so he could get her. He just needed them unconscious. When the weapon went off, it emitted a high-pitched sonic explosion, designed to strike those within hearing unconscious for several minutes. Which would be plenty of time.

He pulled the second sphere out of his tunic, and headed for the back of the Ancient ship.

OOOOOOO

"What is it?"

Cyril and Veda had both flinched at the first sounds of explosions coming from outside the ship – as had Sam. Jack, who had been expecting something – even though he didn't realize it – hadn't flinched. He'd simply turned, drawing his Beretta with one hand and raising up his machine gun with the other, covering both of the Tok'ra.

Sam had turned in the chair she was in – which wasn't easy, considering her girth – and Jaffer's ears went flat on his head and his lips pulled back into a snarl. He didn't know who to attack, but he was ready for them.

Ignoring the Tau'ri, Veda and Cyril both headed for the ramp as several more explosions went off, sounding louder and closer.

"Stay here," Jack ordered Sam, heading for the cargo area in the back of the ramp as well. "Jaffer, guard."

The black lab stayed beside Sam, his hackles up, even as Sam pulled out her own Beretta and cocked it. She wasn't _completely_ helpless, after all, just a bit pregnant.

"Who-"

Veda turned, seeing Jack with his weapons out, and wished that she had one as well. She'd left hers in the storage hangar.

"Stay here, Tau'ri," she said, her eyes concerned. "I'll go find out."

Jack started to head for the exit as well, but Cyril was blocking the way – although he wasn't trying to keep Jack from leaving, he was just in the way, holding a zat in one hand and looking as though he expected them to be blown up any minute. Of course, the Tok'ra lived with that kind of possibility all the time, so he looked far calmer than most would.

"Let's go see-"

Cyril turned as O'Neill spoke up, but a loud explosion outside that rocked the hangar drowned out whatever Jack had said, and deafened the two of them. In the forward part of the ship, Sam lurched to her feet at the noise, her gun ready to aim at whatever might come.

Jack heard Daniel call his name, and headed down the ramp. He couldn't see what was going on, though; the bulk of the ship made it impossible to see more than a foot or so in any direction he wanted to look. Afraid for Sam, he turned and headed into the ship again, unsure what to do and wishing – not for the first time, and definitely not for the last – that he'd never heard of the Tok'ra.

He brushed past Cyril, who was guarding the ramp, and hurried back to Sam; relieved to see she was okay and wondering why he'd been so worried suddenly that she had been hurt. Her face was pale, but she was calm.

"What's going-"

Before he could answer, there was the heavy thud of someone falling to the floor back in the cargo area, and a moment later a small metal ball came rolling into the ship. Before either of them could move – even though they both recognized it instantly – it went off, and Jaffer's agonized yelp of pain was the last thing Jack heard before a sound he couldn't block out exploded in his head, sending him to the floor of the ship.


	10. 10

Cato only had minutes, and he knew it. As much as he'd have loved to personally kill everyone on the ship – and those littering the ground around it – he had a different agenda, and no time to do anything else. The sonic explosion would only incapacitate for a few minutes. He hurried up the ramp and into the ship, past Cyril – who he _had_ killed – and past the cargo hold into the main body of the Ancient ship. Sneering at the inert form of O'Neill – and suppressing an urge to kick him – he grabbed the unconscious woman by the vest she was wearing and dragged her off the ship and down the ramp. Getting her past the bulk of the ship was a little more difficult, but he did it – and he was careful not to jar her too hard, since he needed her undamaged.

Passing the group of unconscious forms in the doorway, Cato couldn't stop the urge to kick Teal'c, and he did. Hard. The Jaffa didn't react, which made the kick no where near as satisfying as it could have been, but it was better than nothing. Spying the boy lying on the ground, his weapon still in his hand, Cato drew his foot back again, intending to kick him as well, just to vent some of the earlier frustrations at having had to put up with the child's smug attitude. Then he realized that the boy might come in handy to him as well, and he kicked out, knocking the gun form his hand before reaching down with his spare hand and grabbing him by the vest as well.

It slowed him down to drag both of them, but he didn't have far to go, and he'd already called off the attacking ships so he didn't have to dodge cannon fire as he hurried to the clear area of land just past the empty storage hangar. A moment later, making sure that both the Tau'ri had their feet completely in the area, he pulled a device form his pocket, activated it and spoke a single guttural command. Rings came up out of the ground around them and an instant later, he, Sam and Ian were gone, the space empty once more.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Whining close at hand pulled Jack from the dazed state. His head was screaming at him and he felt like he'd been turned inside out, but something was nagging at him, telling him he had to wake up and now, and he'd never been able to ignore that – not when it was so strong. He forced his eyes open, trying to remember what had happened, and the first thing he saw was Jaffer's very still body lying only ten feet away or so.

"Jaff…"

God, he felt like his head was going to explode, but the sight of Jaffer only added to his need to get up, because he knew that Jaffer had been in charge of… something… someone… _shit_!

"Sam…"

His voice was a croak, but he literally jerked himself upward. And almost fell as lancing pain stabbed through his head, causing white lights to dance in front of his eyes. He went to the front of the ship and fell beside Jaffer, already able to see that Sam wasn't there, and unable to go any further for the moment.

"Jaffer…"

The black lab whined; he'd taken the brunt of the sonic explosion – since his hearing was so much more intense than Jack's, he'd really suffered that much worse because of it. Jack ran his hand along the silky fur, and he felt a little better almost immediately. Amazingly enough, Jaffer seemed to as well. Well enough that he lifted his head, whimpering with pain, but looking around – as though looking for Sam as well.

Satisfied that Jaffer hadn't taken a fatal blow, Jack forced himself to his feet once more, looking all over the small ship with another glance, praying he'd somehow simply missed Sam's form. But she wasn't there, and he knew it. He could feel it in his gut.

Staggering to the hatch, Jack tripped over the still form of Cyril, and stopped just long enough to check for a pulse. The Tok'ra was dead. Hobbling beside him, Jaffer stopped as well, smelling the Tok'ra's dead body for a moment, and then heading for the ramp, walking no steadier than Jack, but urged on by the same concern. Sam had been his responsibility, after all, and the lab knew he'd failed.

Teal'c was just starting to come around when Jack stumbled up to him, kneeling down between the Jaffa and Daniel and shaking both of them. Daniel didn't make a sound, but Jack could see Jacob and Veda both sprawled close by – both of them were starting to make distressed noises as well, undoubtedly coming too faster than Daniel with a little help from their symbiotes.

Teal'c sat up, his hand pressed tightly against his head and looking around. Just beyond reach was Jack, who was whining with similar noises to the ones that Jaffer had been making, and Teal'c rolled over to reach out and touch the lab – checking him the same way Jack had checked Jaffer. A moment later, he looked at Jack, obviously still not focusing properly.

"What has happened?"

"Sam's gone." Jack answered, bleakly, turning his attention to Daniel. The archeologist wasn't dead, but he wasn't moving, either.

Teal'c pushed himself to his feet, and right behind him Jack was trying to do the same thing. Jaffer was already smelling the ground around them, and he came to point at an object lying on the ground only feet away, against the wall of the hangar. Teal'c went over and picked it up and brought it to O'Neill, who was finally getting a reaction from Daniel.

It was Ian's Glock.

Jack looked at it dumbly.

"Where is he?"

There was no way Ian would go anywhere without that gun, and Jack and Teal'c both knew it. Before Teal'c could answer, though, Jaffer was already heading for the door, his nose on the ground, following a scent that only he could smell. Veda sat up, looking at the black lab as he passed her and then over at Jack, who had taken Ian's Glock from Teal'c.

"Help Daniel," Jack ordered, and he walked past Jacob, who was just struggling to his knees as well, looking around wildly, but obviously unable to focus on anything properly, and followed Jaffer outside, with Jack (the dog) coming out as well, obviously catching the same trail Jaffer was following.

"Jack?"

He looked back, and saw Jacob was on his feet, now, showing remarkable recuperative abilities. Of course he was, Jack thought darkly, he had a snake. Fear and anger were vying for supremacy in Jack's belly, and he felt sick – whether from one or the other, or from the aftermath of the sonic explosion, he wasn't sure and didn't care.

"Sam's gone, Jacob."

He couldn't keep the accusation out of his voice when he said it.

The Tok'ra stumbled outside, too, walking unsteadily over to where Jack was following Jaffer and Jack (the dog).

"Where is she?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out."

He thought he could see marks where someone or something had been dragged, but Jack wasn't the tracker that Teal'c was. Jaffer _was_, though, and a few moments later, both of the labs stopped in the same place, sniffing the ground and making no move to go anywhere else.

"Where is she, Jaffer?"

The lab whined, looking up at Jack with his sorrowful brown eyes and Jack felt fear winning the battle in his stomach.

"There's evidence of a ring device, Jack," Jacob said, his own voice full of fear and concern as well. His eyes were just as concerned as Jack's when he looked over at him.

"A ring device?" Jack repeated, looking up as if he could see where it went. "Who used it?"

"Cato is the only one missing," Teal'c said, startling Jack and Jacob both. The Jaffa had revived Daniel somewhat, and was looking for the scattered Tok'ra. The only one he hadn't found was Cato. He'd come up behind Jack and Jacob without either of them hearing him.

"Cato?"

Jack looked at Jacob, who shook his head, but it was Selmac who answered the question.

"It _can't_ be Cato, Colonel O'Neill. He's been with the Tok'ra longer than almost any of us."


	11. 11

_Author's Note: Bad language ahead. Parents, read this before letting your youngerchildren read it._

OOOOOOOo

A sharp kick to the ribs woke Ian with a grunt – although he'd been half-assed struggling to wake up anyways. He opened his eyes and wished immediately that he hadn't, because it sent off a screaming in his head that he hadn't felt since Alexander – the _other_ Alexander – had tricked him into sticking his head into that Ancient memory download thing.

"Wake up."

The voice was cold and arrogant, but it wasn't Cato's. Not the symbiote, anyways. He looked up from his position (sprawled on a cold and hard floor) and saw a Jaffa standing above him, holding a staff weapon and sneering in contempt at him.

"Go fuck yourself."

Another kick – but at least this one was deserved – and Ian grunted again, grabbing his ribs. Deserved or not, the bastard was wearing heavy boots, and it fucking hurt. He rolled to the side, looking around as much as he could as he staggered to his feet. He was in an alien room with gold walls and all sorts of Goa'uld writing etched into the gold.

A solid whack from behind – to the back of his knees – sent him back down to the floor, and Ian rolled over and looked up at the sneering Jaffa once more.

"I did not give you permission to rise, Tau'ri."

"Fuck you."

He grunted as yet another kick landed against his ribs, and he rolled once more and staggered back to his feet, daring the Jaffa to try that shit again. The Jaffa drew back with his staff weapon, obviously intending to do just that, when another voice interrupted.

"Enough."

_That_ was Cato, Ian knew immediately. Still holding his ribs, he turned and saw the Tok'ra standing near a doorway only a few feet away, and worse, at his feet was the sprawled form of Sam, lying on her side, looking incredibly helpless with her stomach so large and ungainly and paler than Ian had ever seen her.

"What the fuck's going on?" Ian asked, taking a step forward and dropping to his knees beside Sam, his hand instantly looking for a pulse. She moaned at the touch, which made him toss up a quick thank you to anyone who might have been listening, and was immediately grabbed by his vest and jerked upright by the Jaffa once more.

Cato gave him a look that was both smug and furious – he was going to find out immediately if he needed this child and if not, he was going to kill him. Slowly.

"You are my prisoners."

Ian scowled.

"I didn't know the Tok'ra needed prisoners. Or do all the other Who's in Whoville even know what you're doing?"

Annoyance flashed across Cato's arrogant features for just a moment as he tried to figure out what that meant and failed. Instead he focused on the part he had understood, and like all the Goa'uld, was more than ready to show off his great plan.

"Fool! I am _not_ Tok'ra."

"You were hanging out with them."

His smug look increased.

"I captured Cato, removed the traitor from his host – using the same technology that the Tok'ra have developed to use against _us_ – and took over the host. The Tok'ra never noticed the difference – the fools that they are – and I could have killed them all many times over in the last weeks."

Now Ian was confused, and he knew it showed.

"You're a Goa'uld?"

Cato crossed his arms over his chest, looking furious and still managing to look smug and arrogant at the same time.

"I am not a petty Goa'uld, child. I am _Seterios_."

He looked like he'd expected Ian to be impressed with that, but Ian didn't have a clue what that meant.

Cato scowled, losing a bit of the arrogant look in his annoyance that the child wasn't trembling at his name, and gave the Jaffa a look that told him to enlighten the boy.

"My master is a System Lord, foolish Tau'ri," the Jaffa said with considerable pride. "A god… Master of countless worlds and races and-"

"_System Lord_?"

Thanks to his time with Bra'tac mostly, Ian knew what a system lord was – Jack and the others mentioned them occasionally, but Sterios was the first he'd met, obviously. Just as Jacob and Pia had been the first Tok'ra he'd met.

Cato nodded at the Jaffa, who drew the staff weapon back and struck Ian another blow to the back of the knees, causing him to go down to the floor once more.

"_Bastard_."

"Do not interrupt your betters, Tau'ri," Cato/Sterios told him.

Ian started to his feet again, but Cato grew impatient with the battle of wills.

"Bring them." He turned and headed for the door but remembered something at the last minute. "Be careful with the woman. I need her in one piece."

"And the boy?" The Jaffa asked.

"He needs to be conscious."

Well, _shit_.

The staff weapon came downagainst his leg again, and Ian went down once more, crashing to the floor, his leg throbbing from the blow but his temper rising at the treatment.

"You mother fucker."

The head Jaffa – _First Prime_, came the term into Ian's memory – merely smiled and brought the staff weapon down again, this time on his ribs, in a blow that Ian was sure would have broken several if not for the vest he was wearing. He staggered to his feet once more – although it was getting harder and harder to do it each time – and glared at the Jaffa who had struck him.

"Take the woman," the Jaffa ordered to the other two in the room. "And be careful."

As Ian watched, they picked Sam up easily and carried her out of the room, leaving him alone with the First Prime.

"Do you walk? Or do I drag you?"

He bit back a comment about where to stick the staff weapon and scowled instead, knowing that in a fair fight, he might have a chance against the guy and knowing that this wasn't a fair fight, and he didn't have a chance. Besides, he needed to be near Sam until they could get her awake and figure out how the hell to get away from wherever they were.

"I'll walk."

"Perhaps you are not as foolish as I thought."

"Go fuck yourself, shit for brains."

The gauntleted hand struck, and Ian, already reeling from the aftermaths of the sonic grenade and the blows he'd already taken, didn't have a chance to dodge it. He went down again, a gash opening on the side of his forehead from the blow and stars exploding in front of his eyes once more. Before he could get his senses back to drag himself to his feet, he felt the strong hands on him, pulling him up easily.

"On your feet, boy. We cannot keep my Master waiting. No matter how much I would love to teach you a lesson in respect."

Well, lucky him. Unsteady, but walking on his own thank you very much, Ian limped for the door, following the two Jaffa that were carrying Sam.


	12. 12

He stood in the circle that had been made by the rings for a long moment, staring at Ian's Glock, literally stunned by just how quickly he'd lost the most important thing in his world. What had he been thinking, bringing her here? He should have made more of an argument; shouldn't have let her talk him into it – no matter how much she'd wanted to go. And he'd known she'd wanted to go, just from watching her. He should have known something was going to happen, and should have refused to-

"Jack?"

Daniel had come up behind him, Jacob and Teal'c, but Jack had been the only one that hadn't noticed his arrival.

He turned to the archeologist, and Daniel saw the loss in Jack's eyes, even through the shock. Realizing Jack wasn't the one to ask, Daniel turned to Jacob, who was looking just as stunned, but more composed. Of course, he had Selmac to keep him that way.

"Do the Tok'ra have ships here, Jacob?" Daniel asked.

Jack looked at Jacob, too, wondering why he hadn't thought of that. With a Tok'ra ship they could go find the ship that the rings had gone to, and could find Sam and Ian. But Jacob struck that down, immediately. He shook his head.

"We came through the gate."

Jack looked back at the hangar, where Veda and Bren were standing talking to Pia and looking around for any evidence of Cato.

"What about the Ancient ship?" Jack asked, suddenly, desperately. "Sam had it working somewhat." He made a move towards the hangar. "If we could figure out how-"

Suddenly an explosion rocked the area once more, and the hangar that had housed the Ancient's ship exploded from the inside out, sending shrapnel everywhere and mowing down the three Tok'ra that had been standing closest to it. The force of the explosion knocked Jack and the others down, and rained pieces of stone and metal down on them for a full minute as they covered themselves.

"Shit."

"He booby trapped it…" Daniel said, rolling over and looking at the building that was leveled, and the Ancient ship destroyed with it.

Jack felt his stomach clench as the disappointment of not being able to go immediately after Sam and Ian hit him, and he didn't even realize he'd been hit with shrapnel from building until Teal'c pulled him to his feet and gestured wordlessly to the blood on his forearm, where there was a piece of steel sticking through the fabric of his jacket. While Jacob and Daniel and Jaffer went over to check and see if any of the three Tok'ra had survived the explosion, Teal'c pulled the metal from Jack's arm and wrapped it tightly to stop the bleeding.

"Pia and Bern are alive, Jack," Daniel called as Jacob started first aid. "We'll need to get them to the SGC, though."

It was the closest medical facility, after all.

Jack frowned, but knew that there wasn't another choice. He nodded; and headed over to the smoking ruins that had once held the most advanced piece of technology they'd ever had a chance at – and more importantly, had been the last place he'd seen Sam.

"Fine. Let's get them ready to move and get out of here."

He'd think of something.

OOOOOOOOO

Gentle tapping on her cheek woke her. And Sam wished immediately that it hadn't, even before she opened her eyes. Her head hurt so bad that she felt sick, and her back was screaming at her one spasm at a time. Then she opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar Jaffa kneeling by her, doing the tapping – under the careful watch of Cato, who was standing right behind the pair.

"What…?"

She tried to look around, and felt even sicker.

"Easy Sam…"

Ian's voice drew her attention, and the cadet knelt painfully beside her, his eyes worried and the side of his head smeared with blood.

"Ian? What?"

"It was a trap, Sam," Ian told her, looking up at Cato.

Sam's gaze followed his, and the Goa'uld gestured for the Jaffa to move, which he did immediately.

"You are my prisoners," Cato told her – repeating what he'd already told Ian.

Sam frowned, and then winced when she felt another spasm in her back.

"What?"

"Apparently, he's not Cato the Tok'ra at all," Ian told her, explaining it so Sam wouldn't have to listen to the Goa'uld's mocking tone. "He's some system lord who took Cato's host and infiltrated the Tok'ra a while ago."

"But why?" Sam asked, wincing again. God, her back hurt.

"Because I have something that you can make work and I can't," Cato told her, gesturing again, this time behind them. Ian and Sam both looked, and a large section of the wall of the room they were in suddenly moved out of the way, revealing to Sam the ship that she'd been in. Ian saw for the first time what the big fuss had been and felt a surge of hope. It was an Ancient ship – it was a Gateship.

"It's the ship from the planet," Sam said, stupidly. Of course, her head was still pounding, and the baby was suddenly moving in her and with her back hurting, she was having trouble making sense of anything going around her just then.

"No," Cato told her. "This is another."

"There were two," Ian realized, his mind working far better than Sam's just then, although he didn't know it. His head was killing him, too, but he'd been awake longer. "It makes sense; there are two hangars…"

Cato's expression was smug once more, and with typical Goa'uld arrogance, he was more than willing to tell them just how clever he'd been.

"I found them more than a year ago, and immediately knew them to be technology I have never seen before."

Which meant technology none of the other Goa'uld had ever seen, either – which translated into an advantage. Sam understood that immediately, but didn't say anything. Ian didn't understand, but didn't care enough to ask.

"So you tried to make it work…" Sam said, wincing again as the baby shifted and her back spasmed once more.

Cato scowled.

"It will not work. I have tried everything. So I knew I needed to find someone who might."

"And you picked the Tok'ra?" Ian asked, looking over at the ship once more. He knew it wouldn't work for the Goa'uld – or the Tok'ra, for the same reason.

"Fool! I picked the _Tau'ri_. Your people are so primitive, and yet you have luck when it comes to making things work. I infiltrated the Tok'ra to get at the Tau'ri. And I have."

"But…" Sam still didn't understand how, but Cato was done explaining.

"_You_ will make it work for me."

"But-"

"Or you will die."


	13. 13

When they came through the gate there were already several medics waiting for them, and Fraiser was one of them – standing right beside Hammond. Both of them noticed the absences of Sam and Ian immediately.

"Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond asked, worry in his eyes as he watched Pia and Bren being put on stretchers. "Where are –"

"They're gone, Sir." Jack said, getting over the shock and well on his way to angry. The only problem was, the only people he had to be angry with were himself and Jacob, and Jacob was looking just as stricken as Jack felt. Which of course, he was. "It was a trap or something. They got Sam and Ian."

"Who?"

Jacob spoke up, now.

"We're not sure, but all signs point to it being one of our own. I just can't believe it, though."

"It had to have been Cato, Jacob," Daniel said, coming up from behind them. "He's the only one missing. And-"

Hammond noticed the blood all over Jack's forearm, and several small scratches on the others. Teal'c and Jacob would heal quickly on their own with the help of their symbiotes, but Daniel and Jack both needed to go to the infirmary, and it was just as good to send them all there.

"Get to the infirmary, Colonel, and have Doctor Fraiser check you guys out. We'll meet in the briefing room in half an hour to discuss how we're going to get them back."

Jack nodded. He _was_ going to get them back.

"Yes, Sir."

OOOOOOO

The injury to his forearm wasn't serious, but Janet handled Jack personally, leaving the Tok'ra to her senior doctors. Pia and Bren were both unconscious, but neither had injuries that their symbiotes couldn't heal if they were given the chance. Jack, however, had a lost look in his eyes that made Janet want to cry – and as worried as she was about Sam, she knew he was far more worried, and she couldn't understand how he could keep from breaking down. Jaffer was up on the table beside him, the lab looking as mournful as she'd ever seen him, and occasionally bumping his head against Jack's free hand – obviously needing a reassuring petting.

She closed the stab wound with several stitches and bandaged it tightly to keep it from infecting, and as she did, she watched him, debating whether or not to add to his worries. She knew she had to, though, because there was a potential serious problem developing with the absence of Ian.

"Colonel…"

He looked up at her, wondering about the sudden hesitation in her voice.

Janet put tape on the gauze that was wrapped around his arm, and then met his hurt brown eyes.

"We might have _another_ problem…"

"It can wait."

Nothing was more important than the one he was already trying to solve.

"It might not…" Janet said, understanding how he felt, but knowing better. "Nathan and Maggie Brooks might be showing up today looking for Ian…"

"What?"

This was from Daniel, who'd been sitting close to Jack, more for support than to have the small scratches on his face looked at.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"Today's his birthday…"

"_Ian's_?" Daniel asked.

Fraiser nodded.

"How do you know that?"

More importantly, how did it escape the notice of the rest of them?

"Cassie."

Ah. He could keep it a secret from them, but wouldn't have been able to keep it from Cassie if she'd asked.

Fraiser shrugged.

"They might not come – but Cassie thought it was a possibility and mentioned it to me. And if they do…" She trailed off, knowing Jack didn't need her to tell him any more. If Nathan Brooks came looking for Ian and they couldn't produce him – or a really good story as to where he was and why he wasn't where he was _supposed_ to be – the retired General was bound to start asking questions. And was as hard to ignore as a rampaging bull elephant.

Jack sighed. That was all he needed.

Janet looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry…"

He shook his head, rubbing his face as he tried to think of what to do. What he really needed was Dotty – and of course she wasn't there to come when he called for help. He felt a stab of loss at that, too, and wondered what he'd tell Shawn about-

"The Asgard."

The thought just popped into his head, and Jack grabbed it immediately. He got to his feet, pulling his hand from Fraiser's and heading for the door. They could help. They had _ships_, and had better technology than he did. _And_ they were close at hand.

"Come on, guys. We need to get to the control room."

He headed out the door, Jaffer right beside him and Teal'c and Daniel right behind him.

OOOOOOOO

"It's not that simple," Sam said, still trying to gather her thoughts. "I-"

"You made the ship on the planet work," Cato said impatiently, reaching down and pulling her to her feet. "You can make-"

"Get your fucking hands off her you piece of shit."

The Jaffa behind him pulled Ian back as he lunged for Cato, tossing him easily to the floor. Ian scrambled back to his feet, ignoring the staff weapon that was suddenly pointed at him.

"She's not going to be able to do shit for you if you hurt her. Can't you see that she's-"

Cato let go of Sam, who almost fell at the loss of support, but managed to hold herself upright – although there was yet another stab of pain in her back, and she was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong. Fear made her knees suddenly weak as she worried that it might be something wrong with the baby, and she swooned, despite herself.

The Goa'uld reached out and caught her, as if suddenly realizing that he might have damaged his best chance of getting the Ancient technology to work for him.

"What do you need?" He asked. There was no concern in his voice, of course, but he needed her in one piece, and that meant keeping her alert. And she looked pale – even for one of her kind.

"She needs to sit down," Ian said, moving the staff weapon aside and coming over to take Sam away from Cato. He didn't want him touching her. "There are cushioned chairs in the ship, right?"

The Goa'uld nodded, and gestured for them to go towards the Ancient's ship.

"She can sit – but while she's sitting the two of you will work on getting the technology to work."

"Yeah, whatever." Ian draped Sam's arm over his shoulder, really concerned at just how pale she was. "Come on, Sam…" He looked over his shoulder, knowing by the look on Cato's face that he had the upper hand just then, and knowing once he got Sam into the ship the advantage was going to be even greater.

"Make yourself useful, ass wipe, bring her something to drink so she doesn't pass out on you."

A vein in the Goa'uld's forehead looked like it was ready to pop, but he beckoned imperiously at the First Prime, who gestured for one of the others to go get it. The Jaffa took off at a quick walk, leaving the room, and Cato scowled at Ian. He'd se what the boy knew, and if it wasn't much, he'd kill him. Although he was really considering killing him anyway. Impertinent pup.


	14. 14

There was one advantage of being who he was, Jack knew. That was that he was one of only a very small number of people – count that as _three_ – who had instant communication with a race of aliens that 99.9999 percent of the people on Earth didn't even know _existed_. It wasn't something he used all that often – but it was definitely something he was using now. After a hurried discussion with Hammond and Jacob, he went to his office pulled a device from the top drawer and pressed the button on it.

Then he headed for the Gate room, knowing that Thor would either beam himself down, or beam Jack up – and if he beamed Jack up it didn't matter where on the base he was, but if he beamed down, Jack knew Thor would go to the Gate room first.

OOOOOOOOO

The Gateship was exactly as Ian had remembered seeing. As he helped Sam up the ramp, taking more and more of her weight as they went – which concerned him, since she seemed to be having trouble _walking_, even – the lights came on in the cargo area.

When he'd first been on the Gateship with Alexander and Dotty from the alternate dimension, he hadn't understood why the lights had been automatic, but that was before the download, and even though he hadn't known it until he actually walked onto the ship and had the memory triggered, he now knew that it was reacting to _his_ presence. The ship itself was tuned to him. And wouldn't do anything for anyone else around him. The Ancients hadn't wanted anyone but themselves to be able to use their technology – and that included the Goa'uld.

If Ian had his way, the fucking thing wouldn't even turn the lights on unless Cato was off it. But there was only so much he could ask for, apparently, because the Goa'uld was right behind them when they entered the ship, and he saw the lights come on and made a pleased noise that made Ian want to puke in disgust.

"How did you do that?" Cato asked.

Ian ignored him and helped Sam up to the front of the ship, putting her in the copilot's seat after turning it so she would fit more comfortably.

"Are you all right?" He asked her, more worried now that he could see her up close. She looked scared, and was trying to hide it – and Ian didn't think it was because of Cato or the Jaffa.

She nodded, looking behind him – which was all the warning he had before Cato put his hand on Ian's shoulder and pulled him away from Sam.

"Get your fucking hands off me."

"_How did you do that_?" Cato asked, looking at Sam.

She shook her head, wincing as another sharp pain lanced through her back.

"I didn't…"

The system lord drew his hand back.

"You _lie_!"

But the blow didn't land. Ian had reached out and caught his hand in mid-strike, and even though the Goa'uld was far more powerful than he was, the cadet had the advantage of leverage – coming from behind as he had – and surprise.

"You touch her again, and I'll kill you, you mother fucker."

Cato roared in disbelief, and swung at Ian with the other hand, but Ian ducked under it, and stepped down hard on the Goa'uld's instep, the heel of his boot making contact hard enough to elicit another roar – this one fury and pain combined – and Ian pushed him away, stepping between Cato and Sam and holding up his hand.

"You hurt her and you're never going to get this thing running, shit for brains." He said before the Goa'uld – or the two Jaffa that had coming running at the shouts – could attack him. "It's not going to work for you. _Ever_. Only Sam."

There was a dizzying wave of expressions crossing the Goa'uld's face, from anger, to disbelief and fury, to suspicion and then to anger again, but he didn't attack Ian, and he looked at Sam in disbelief.

"Why her?"

"Because the _Ancients_ didn't like snakes anymore than the rest of us," Ian said, ignoring the aching in his head and meeting Cato's furious stare with his own. "They integrated their ships – and _all_ their technology – with lockdowns that would prevent them falling into the wrong hands. You understand what integrate means?"

"I'm not stupid."

"Then you'll know that because it's integrated, even if you take the shit apart and put it together again, it _still_ won't work for you. It won't work for _any_ Goa'uld – or Tok'ra. Only Sam."

"And _you_."

Ian shook his head.

"You have to have the right gene sequence. You have to be _born_ with it. Otherwise it locks you out. _I_ can show her what to do, but the ship won't run for me. Which means if you hurt her, you're fucked. And all your plans for world domination go down the shitter."

The Goa'uld wasn't sure about Ian's choice of language – half of what he was saying, he didn't understand – but he was getting the gist of it, and it was obvious from the expression of impotent fury that he didn't like what he was hearing.

"Make it work."

"She can't do anything," Ian said, looking over his shoulder at Sam for just a moment, and then back at Cato. "Look at her; whatever your thing did to knock her out, it's messing with her way worse than it did me. If she can't focus, I _can't_ tell her what to do. She needs a chance to rest – and a-"

"_I want this ship to work for me_!"

"Then you're going to have to fucking _wait_."

He looked like he wanted to hit him; Ian knew. But he also had to take in consideration that Ian might be telling the truth, and that if he hurt either of them – Sam especially – he had just screwed himself royally. It was what Ian was counting on, because he had to protect Sam as well as he could – even though he'd lied through his teeth. Sam wasn't the one the ship was reacting to, although there was a possibility Ian thought briefly, that the ship might be reacting to her unborn son – if he held that gene. For someone who was a shitty liar - like he was - the Goa'uld certainly seemed to be buying it.

As soon as he was certain that he wasn't going to get hit, he continued.

"You're putting pressure on her while she's already stressed, and it's going to make her sick. And before you say you don't care, you'd better think again, because she's all you have, and if she gets sick, you're stuck with just _me_ – and while I can read the shit, I don't know what to make of it."

That vein was really sticking out, now. Ian could actually see it throbbing. Ole Cato was about as angry as he'd ever been, and was in a corner he had no way of getting out of – without putting to ruin a plan that had taken him months of planning to enact. Ian met his angry glare as he visibly made up his mind, and then Cato stepped back a couple of paces, giving Ian and Sam both breathing room.

"Fine. She can rest. But not for long."

"And something to drink."

"Fine."

He had already ordered that.

"And a blanket."

He was going to say something – Ian could see it – but the Goa'uld looked over at Sam and thought he might have seen her tremble. She certainly seemed to be having trouble focusing on anything – although _Ian_ knew she was concentrating on something internal and not what was going on around her. Which made him more worried.

"_Fine_."


	15. 15

Sam was in trouble. The pain that she'd been feeling almost non-stop since she'd been goaded into wakefulness wasn't fading as she'd assumed it would. The back pains had grown steadily worse. So much so that she was having trouble collecting her thoughts or paying attention to what was being said around her. She could hear Ian talking – and swearing – but she couldn't concentrate enough on what was being said to tell him to stop annoying the Goa'uld. Something was definitely not right – inside and out – but she could only think about the inside just then. The outside she'd have to leave to Ian for now, because she couldn't handle both and she just couldn't ignore the inside.

The pains – and for the first time, the word _contraction_ came into her mind with startling and terrifying clarity – weren't just in her back anymore. They were still there, too, but now they'd moved around towards her lower abdomen, and try as she might, she couldn't get them to stop.

She _couldn't_ be in labor, she told herself – although she didn't say anything aloud and was trying as hard as she could to hide her distress. It was too soon. She wasn't due until May. But the aches were regular, and Sam had read up on the symptoms of labor so she'd know what to expect, and it certainly seemed like it might be what she was feeling. Her throat and mouth were dry with fear.

"Here, Sam…"

A canteen was held against her lips, and she turned her head, afraid that the Goa'uld was trying to give her something to make her talk or worse.

"Sam…" She saw Ian holding the container, his dark eyes worried and holding just a hint of barely controlled panic. "Take a drink. It's safe. He won't do anything to hurt you, I promise."

She took a drink. She needed the moisture in her mouth and knew she'd just have to trust him. As she sipped it, she felt something warm coming around her and realized it was a blanket. _How_ had he managed to convince a Goa'uld to give her a blanket?

"Is it the baby?" He asked her, placing his hand lightly on her stomach – something he'd never done before.

She looked over and saw that Cato was pushing buttons against the panel near the ramp, obviously trying to make the controls work and having no luck, and nodded, slightly.

Oh, fuck. Ian glanced over at Cato, and saw he wasn't paying attention, and then looked back at Sam, fighting down panic – again. Was she in labor? She wasn't due for months still – a couple of them, anyways. Or was there something wrong with the baby? Something caused by the explosion that had knocked her out…?

There was a way he could find out. The memories were really coming to him, now, and while he _wasn't_ an Ancient, he knew what they knew – somewhat – and he knew how to do things that they'd been able to do.

He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the life he could feel under his palm. Amazingly, he could _feel_ the baby there, and felt the way the baby was moving, readying himself for delivery. He wasn't in distress, not really – he was just ready to come out, the early delivery triggered by the rough treatment Sam had experienced and stress of the situation.

Still searching, Ian checked Sam out as well as the baby, and found that there was really very little wrong with her. He couldn't do anything about the contractions – _that_ was natural pain and nothing he could help – but he did find the sore spot inside her from the slight concussion she'd received, and he eased that ache, helping her clear her head a little. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do – and even that made him feel tired, because he knew healing energy he was giving her was being taken from him. But it wasn't something he'd deny her if she needed it.

He opened his eyes and looked at her again, noticing that the lines of pain were still there, but that she was watching him, her blue eyes frightened, but questioning as well.

"We've got to get out of here…" He told her, softly, his hand sliding along her leg for her boot, his actions hidden from Cato by his own body kneeling near her and by the voluminous blanket that she was wrapped in. "Just hold on, okay?"

She nodded, and hoped he wasn't going to do anything stupid, even as she felt him take the small knife out of the hidden sheath in her boot. The knife Jack had insisted she take along, even though there wasn't any way she'd ever be able to reach down for it in the event of an emergency. Before she could warn him against just that, though, there was another pain – a sharp one that actually forced a gasp of distress from her.

Cato looked over at the noise and frowned. What was wrong with her? He knew she was pregnant – Jacob Carter had talked of almost nothing but the baby she was carrying – but he'd been under the impression that she wasn't due to deliver the child for quite a while still. That was one of the reasons he'd put his plan into motion so quickly, because he'd been told she was the one person who might be able to fix the alien technology – if they could convince her to come.

The boy came over to him, his expression no longer arrogant – which made Cato worry that something serious was wrong with the woman. Ironic that he wanted to see the arrogant sneer now, when before he'd wanted nothing more than to wipe it off his face.

"What is wrong with her?" He demanded when the boy approached.

"She's in pain," Ian said, bringing his left hand up to wipe the blood he could feel drying on the side of his head – it was tickling his ear. "You and your buddies were too rough with her and it's affecting the baby…"

Despite himself, the Goa'uld's gaze followed the hand Ian lifted to wipe his head, which was exactly what Ian had intended. It was a trick Bra'tac had taught him; a means of distracting anyone – because no one could help but look and see what was being wiped off.

"They _were_ gentle with her," Cato retorted. "It is the weakness of the Tau'ri fe-"

The last word ended in a gurgle as Ian launched his attack and brought his other hand up, the dagger flat against his palm until the last possible second, and then it was in his hand, the razor sharp edge slicing through Cato's unprotected neck. Blood gushed – an _amazing_ amount of blood – and Ian hurriedly shoved the Goa'uld out the back of the ship, the already dead corpse tumbling off the side of the ramp and to the floor.

With one bloody hand, Ian slapped the control on the panel, closing the ramp and activating the shields of the Gateship before the stunned Jaffa could even realize what had happened and react. The ramp came up, sealing Ian and Sam inside, and he hobbled quickly back to the control area, to slide into the pilot's seat.

Even as he approached once more, the ship came to life around him, reacting to his needs almost before he could think of them. A heads-up display appeared in front of him and Sam, the scanners of the Gateship already taking in the area and bringing him up a 3-D representation of what was around them.

Ian hadn't realized they were in a ship. He'd thought they were on the ground in a cavern or a large building or something.

"Shit."

Sam looked over at him, stunned as well by the blood all over him and the urgency in his voice.

"What?"

"We're going to have to _fly_ out of here…"

She looked at the heads-up display as well, the shock overriding the pain she'd been feeling and forcing back her own fears.

"We're on a ship…"

"We're on a ship _on a ship_," Ian said, reaching for the controls and hoping the ship would be able to help him.

"What are-"

They could see the wall falling lower as the ship rose in the air, and Ian took a deep breath, palming the firing controls and looking at the heads-up display once more. He knew the weaponry on the Gateship – somewhat – but he didn't know anything about the Goa'uld ship they were in the belly of and he didn't know what it was made out of. He didn't know if he could blow their way out of there or not, and he'd just taken a huge risk with a life he had no business endangering.

"Hold on, Sam…"

God, he hated flying…

Toggling the fire controls, and ignoring the thumps that were caused by the Jaffa shooting their staff weapons against the shielded Gateship, Ian gave the main weapon time to energize, and pressed the firing button.


	16. 16

"While I understand and sympathize with your predicament, O'Neill, you _must_ understand that if the Asgard do anything to-"

Jack didn't even let Thor finish. He was beyond frustrated and well into terrified, and at the moment that translated into anger. Especially when he just knew what Thor was going to tell him.

He slapped his hand down on the briefing table, hard, causing almost everyone sitting around it to flinch.

"No, Thor," Jack said, standing up and leaning over the table towards the Asgard – who had been sitting across from him. "You understand _this_; if you don't call all your Asgard buddies – and I mean _all_ of them – and get them to help me find Sam, I'm going to end the learning sessions with Shawn and Andrew right now."

He had the upper hand, here, and he knew it. And he was more than willing to use every advantage he could find.

"O'Neill, the protected planets treaty-"

"Says you can't interfere with us," Jack finished, his voice deadly cold. "You've done a hell of a job interfering so far, and I'm pretty sure the Goa'uld would love to know that you're imparting your wisdom and technology on a couple of kids – so don't give me that bullshit, Thor. You have a choice; help me now, or get the hell out of here and don't _ever_ come back."

"Colonel O'Neill…"

Jack didn't look at Hammond. He didn't look at anyone but Thor, and the little gray alien met his gaze for a full minute before he sighed.

"Very well. I will contact the Asgard high command and have ships sent out to start looking for them. You understand, though, that it's very unlikely that we will be able to find-"

"It's better than not looking at all," Daniel interrupted.

Thor nodded.

"We will be in contact-"

"I want to go with you." Jack said, before he could leave.

"I-"

"Colonel O'Neill?"

Jack scowled, looking over at the Airman who had suddenly appeared at the door, looking nervous for having interrupted, but also as if it wasn't going to be able to wait.

"What?"

"General Nathan Brooks is waiting at the main gate, Sir. He says he wants to talk to you."

_"Damn it."_

"He says he-"

"I'll be right there, Airman. Thank you."

So much for going with the Asgard.

Jack looked at Thor.

"Let me know the minute you find anything. Okay?"

Looking decidedly unhappy with the way things had turned out; Thor nodded, and vanished in a white light that made both Jack and Jaffer growl softly from their positions under the briefing table.

Jack looked over at Hammond, but the General wasn't looking for an apology or an explanation. He understood that Jack was willing to do whatever it took to get Sam back – and Ian – even if it meant blackmailing the entire Asgard race to get them to help.

"You'd better get to the main gate, Jack," Hammond told him. "Tell Nathan that Sam and Ian are on a training assignment or something – he'll believe that if Ian's mentioned that he's been working with Sam."

"Yes, Sir."

It was as good a cover story as any. With Jaffer trotting beside him, Jack left the briefing room, and Hammond looked over at Jacob, who was looking as haggard and upset as Jack.

"Any news from the Tok'ra Jacob?"

"Not yet, George. We're looking for them, but we don't have a lot of ships, and who knows where they jumped to – if they left the planet at all. It was a good idea to get the Asgard in on things – they have far more resources than we do."

Even if they hadn't wanted to be…

OOOOOOOOO

As the heads-up display had shown them, the large cargo bay they were in was in the belly of the Goa'uld mothership. There was an exit under them that Ian hadn't seen – mainly because he hadn't had a lot of time to look – but because of the positioning of the weapons launchers on the Gateship, he wouldn't have been able to fire at it to blow it open, anyways.

As it was, he did it the hard way – but the hard way turned out to be almost ridiculously easy. The mothership was shielded. From attacks coming from the outside. The shields were set up to deflect from the outside, but no one had probably ever considered an attack from the inside out – if someone was trying to take over the ship form inside, they certainly wouldn't want to destroy it, after all.

Ian, on the other hand, didn't care if the mothership survived or not. He just cared about blasting a hole big enough for the Gateship to escape through – and it wasn't a large craft, thank God, so it wouldn't take much.

The weapons on the Gateship were up to the task, and the explosion that rocked the Goa'uld ship when Ian fired blindly into the wall was deafening. A huge hole appeared in the side of the ship, a hole that promptly started to decompress the Goa'uld ship and sucked all the Jaffa in the area – including Cato's inert form – out into the black nothingness of space, where those that were alive, weren't for long.

Automatic controls took over, saving the ship itself from a critical explosion, but as Ian rocketed the Gateship out of the escape hatch he'd just made, the crippled mothership had absolutely no chance of coming after them – even if the Jaffa on the bridge had had someone to order them to follow.

As soon as he was clear of the ship, and the read out told him that no one was following, Ian took a deep breath, shaking harder than he could ever remember shaking. He looked over at Sam, who was pale and in the middle of what _had_ to be a contraction, and then looked around, helplessly. They'd escaped the Goa'uld – which had been an important first step – but they weren't safe, yet. He didn't have a clue what to do, next… only that he had to get them home.

"What do I do now?" He asked, more himself than Sam, because her hands were clutching the armrest of the chair she was in, and she wasn't in any condition to hear him just then, much less answer.

The Gateship had been paying attention to what was going on inside it. Even though it wasn't a sentient creature by any means, it had a degree of artificial intelligence that the people on Earth had never mastered – at least not yet. It knew what Ian needed, and the heads-up display came on again. Ian looked up at it and saw a very detailed – and illustrated – step by step instruction list of how to deliver a baby.

He jerked to his feet, taking a step back and holding his hands out in denial.

"Oh, _hell_ no…"

Panic set in once more, and he looked at Sam.

"We need a _gate_," he said, this time more to the ship than to himself. "Find me a _gate_, goddamn it."

And the ship complied, its sensors stretching out around them as they moved through space. The heads-up display changed from the diagram of the delivery to show the star systems around them, planets and moons and other celestial bodies coming up and disappearing rapidly as the ship looked for what Ian had asked for.

Finally, it stopped on one – a blinking light that looked a million miles away – even on the heads-up display. But it was better than nothing.

Gingerly, Ian took the pilot's seat again, and put his hands on the controls. There was an automatic pilot; he just had to figure out how to activate –

A red light blinked, drawing his attention, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the ship start to maneuver – apparently on its own.

He reached out and put his hand on Sam's arm, unsure where to touch her without hurting her.

"Hang on, Sam… we're getting there… Just… _hold him in_, okay?"

Sam nodded, only paying a little attention to him, but responding to the fear in his voice and knowing he needed reassurance. The only problem was, _she_ did, too.


	17. 17

Most people who visited the Cheyenne Mountain complex waited for the person – or persons – they were visiting outside the main gate, where they were watched carefully by the Marines in charge of the security of the place until such time as their party came to collect them and produce documentation or a phone call from the powers that be telling them that it was all right to admit them into the base. There were very few exceptions to this rule, but Nathan Brooks was one of them.

When Jack came to the main gate with Jaffer, Ian's father was sitting comfortably in the guard shack, sipping a cup of coffee and talking with the Sergeant of the Guard – who came to attention when Jack entered the room, but was far from tense, as he might have been with other VIP visitors. Nathan stood as well, a smile on his handsome face; although it was obvious he was wondering why Ian hadn't come as well. Which was proven immediately as he held his hand out to shake Jack's.

"Hey, Jack. Where's Ian?"

Oh, he's been kidnapped by a snake infested alien and taken God only knows where – along with my wife.

Of course, that wasn't the answer Jack could give him, but luckily, O'Neill was a very good liar. His expression didn't change at all as he answered, signing Nathan onto the base under his authority at the same time.

"He's off with Sam, Nate," Jack said. "We have a couple of new prototype engines that Sam's working on, and apparently Ian's quite the genius when it comes to that kind of thing, so he's helping her."

"Really?"

Jack nodded.

"We didn't even know you were coming into town – otherwise we would have rescheduled it or put him on a different project. Is Maggie here, too?"

Nathan nodded, and then walked out of the guard shack with Jack and Jaffer.

"She'll be along."

"It'll be good to see her."

The retired General nodded, again, and then stopped, leaning against the wall and giving Jack an intense look, his blue eyes suddenly cold.

"So… where's Ian _really_ at Jack?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Ian…"

Sam was between contractions – at least between what she was pretty sure were contractions, and for the first time she was able to actually look around and take stock of their situation. At least for a moment. It didn't look good, though. Ian looked panicked. She felt panicked, and she knew that either she was in labor, or she was in trouble – and neither were good news. Especially since they were on an alien space ship that neither of them had ever seen before, and out in the middle of nowhere and going God only knew where.

He looked over at her, his face pale, but obviously trying to hide his concern and fear.

"Relax, Sam…" he said, sounding no less panicked than he looked. "We're going to get to a gate and get home – and Doctor Fraiser can take care of you."

She felt the start of yet another spasm, and braced herself for the pain.

"Do you still have your IDC device?"

He looked down at his forearm and realized it was missing. Cato or his Jaffa must have removed it – along with his radio, he realized. A quick look at her vest showed that she didn't have hers, either. Which meant that even if they opened the gate, there was no way to let the SGC know it was them – and no way to tell them to open the iris.

"Shit."

Jesus, now what? The Gateship communications, but Ian wasn't positive he could interface it with the radios that people on earth used. The Ancients didn't use the same kind of technology, after all, and something so advanced might not work with what they had at the SGC. Like trying to put a CD in an 8-track player. He was pretty sure he could make it work – given time – but judging from the way Sam was clutching the arms of her chair again, they didn't _have_ time.

As he was trying to figure out what to do, the heads-up display beeped softly, drawing his attention. They'd reached the planet that held the gate, and the ship was letting him know it was time to enter in the Stargate address so it could activate it as the ship headed through the atmosphere, the ride far smoother than Ian had figured it would be as the inertia dampeners kicked in.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Where the fuck could he take them? He only knew a few addresses, and none of them were places that had people. The alpha site had an iris, too, now, or he could have gone there, but the-

He looked down at the symbols on the panel between the pilot and copilot boards, and realized he knew the perfect place. Well, not exactly perfect, since perfect would have been the SGC, but filled with Ancients who would probably be willing to help him. It had been a different reality, but the address would still be the same (he hoped) and the underwater city would still be there – right? It made sense. He'd know in a minute if the city was there, anyways, because the Stargate wouldn't activate without the destination gate. Crossing his fingers in his mind, Ian started dialing in the symbols that he'd seen Dotty entering in on the same kind of keypad. An 8 symbol address, but she'd told him that the Gateship itself would supply the extra boost of power, and he knew now that she was right.

"Hang on, Sam," he said, not looking up from the keypad. "We'll have help in a minute."

She gasped as a particularly painful wave of muscle contractions hit her, and Ian winced in sympathy, wishing there was something he could do to help ease her pain. Of course, sitting like she was couldn't be helping things, but it wouldn't be long, now. He'd have her in the hands of Ancients, who couldn't do anything more than he could to ease her pain, but would at least be able to help her if she was actually in labor.

The Stargate in front of them activated, telling him the city was really on the other side, and Ian sighed in relief as the automatic pilot took them straight into it.

There was the undeterminable length of time in the gate – a time when he wasn't aware of anything – and then they emerged on the other side, entering the large room with the huge staircase that was just like he'd remembered it. With only one difference.

It was completely empty and from the looks of things, the lights were just coming on as they'd entered. He had a quick glance out the front view screen as they emerged, and then a longer look as the ship rose gently up into the docking bay above the main room.

There was no one there. The city was dead. Ian felt his heart drop into his gut.

"Oh, Jesus…"

He was just about to slam his hand down in frustration at the whole mess, when an odd, strangled noise came from Sam, drawing his attention once more over to her.

"Sam? What is it?"

Her eyes were wide with fear, now, as she looked at him.

"I think my water just broke…"


	18. 18

_Author's Note: Things could and probably will get a little graphic, medically speaking, so if you're not screening this story for your younger kids, then you really need to start doing it!_

OOOOOOO

"Your water…?"

Ian glanced down at the canteen that Cato's First Prime – now his dead First Prime – had handed him to give to Sam, and she followed the glance, shaking her head and wishing it were that simple.

"Not _that_ water, Ian…" she said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm in labor…" There was no hiding that, now, even though it scared her even worse to say it aloud. She didn't see any doctors rushing in to help them, after all, and had no idea where they were.

Ian had already known she was in labor – he'd just hoped that she'd be able to stop it before things went from bad to worse and really progressed. Or more, he'd been hoping to get her to help, and he hadn't. All he'd done was managed to get them someplace that wasn't out in the middle of space.

Instead they were in an abandoned underwater city further from the SGC and Jack than Sam had ever been before – even though _she_ didn't know it just then. Fuck. What was he going to do?

The heads-up display came on again, drawing Ian's attention from Sam back to it, and he recognized the display as a map of some sort. Probably a map of the city, since he was pretty sure that the place in the center was the Gateship bay that he and Sam were in and there were assorted corridors heading in all directions, leading to all sorts of rooms and other – larger – spaces that who knew what they were. One of them was blinking in a gentle green, though, as if the ship was pointing out something to him.

Unfortunately, Ian's downloaded memories didn't include a guided tour of Atlantis.

"_Atlantis_?"

The name had come to him as he'd looked at the city, popping into his head as if he'd known where he was all along and simply hadn't realized it. Which maybe he had.

"What?"

He looked at Sam, who was struggling through another contraction, and then back up to the heads-up display at the blinking room once more, and made a decision that he never would have thought he'd have to make when he woke up that morning.

"We need to get off the ship, Sam," he said, standing up and reaching for her to help her to her feet. "I can't get us back to the SGC before the baby comes, and you _can't_ have him here – it's too dangerous…"

"What?"

"Too many sharp edges," he said, his hand coming under her arm and pulling her carefully to her feet. "And there's no room…"

"I can't have it here, Ian," Sam said, realizing for the first time that he was talking about delivering the baby. Alone and without Janet or Jack.

"I know. According to the map, there are some rooms that look more-"

_"I can't have it here_!" Sam said, her voice going up several octaves and ending with a groan, even though the standing position eased the ache of her contraction considerably. "I want Jack!" He had to be here for the delivery… he _had_ to…

"I want him, too, Sam," Ian assured her, supporting her and trying to ease her out of the piloting area of the ship without her realizing it. "But he's not here, and I can't get-"

"I..."

She stopped, a sob torn from her throat, as deep as if it'd come from the center of her very soul as she realized that he was right and Jack wasn't there and there was no way he was going to be there, and it was all her fault, because she had no business going offworld when she'd been pregnant, and she knew it. Despair welled up inside her, the ache even drowning out the pain of the contraction.

Ian's arm came around her, hugging her close to him, and trying to comfort her.

"It's okay, Sam," he told her. "It's going to be okay, I promise…"

"It's _not_," she said, breaking down into tears and clinging to him. She _hurt_. And Jack wasn't there. And she wanted Jaffer… How could things be so wrong? She was going to lose this baby, too, because it was too early for it to be born. "It's too soon…"

"It's not too soon," he said, pressing a kiss against her tear-stained cheek, desperate to get her calmed down because he was pretty fucking close to panicking himself, and they both couldn't be bawling. "Everything's there… he's just…"

"I want to go home…"

She didn't have the energy to cry, and she couldn't focus on crying and the contraction – which was getting worse – and the pain won. She groaned, clutching her belly with one hand and tightening the grip on his hand with the other until Ian actually yelped – although he didn't try to pull away. Instead, he wrapped his other arm around her to support her weight when her legs buckled.

"It'll be okay, Sam… I swear it…"

He looked at the heads-up display again, memorizing the directions he needed to go to reach the blinking room.

"Show me that other diagram again," he said, knowing the ship would know what he meant. Sure enough, an instant later the detailed baby-delivering screen came up again, and while he didn't have the time to try and mentally translate the writing, he studied the pictures, making sure to get a good look at each step so he'd be able to memorize them in order.

A moment later, he was easing Sam down the ramp and out of the Gateship bay.

OOOOOOOOOO

Jack hesitated.

"What do you mean, Nate?"

Nathan scowled, looking a lot like Ian just then, and folded his arms over his chest. Even in civilian clothes – he was wearing a pair of slacks and a button down shirt that was the same color as his eyes – he was imposing.

"I mean, I asked the Sergeant of the guard if Ian was on base while I was waiting for you and he told me that Ian hadn't checked off base. Which means that unless Captain Kirk beamed my boy off base, either the Sergeant is lying to me, or _you_ are." And there was no mistaking from Nate's tone of voice who he thought was lying.

"Ian's not on base," Jack said, realizing that the Sergeant wouldn't have had any reason not to answer Nate's question. "This isn't the only way off base, you know."

"Where is he?"

"With Sam."

He hoped.

"Doing what?"

"I can't _tell you that_, Nate. You know that."

Nathan's scowl deepened.

"Classified, huh?"

Jack nodded, keeping his expression as cool as he could. Nathan was an expert interrogator as well, and would probably be one of the few people who would be able to tell if he was lying. Of course, at the moment, he _wasn't_ lying, so for now he was okay.

"Maggie's not going to accept that."

Jack could tell that _Nathan_ wasn't willing to accept it, either, but he did understand military protocol – even if he didn't like it.

"We're hoping they'll be back before too long."

God, wasn't he _just_…?

"Fine." Although his tone said it was anything but fine. Probably the only thing keeping him from storming onto the base and finding out for himself just where Ian was was the fact that he trusted Jack. "Maggie's shopping, and I'll go meet her and tell her things are delayed. But she's not leaving without seeing him – and neither am I."

Jack nodded.

"I'll keep in touch, Nate. Hopefully they'll be home soon."

Ian's father nodded, hesitated, and then offered Jack his hand before turning and heading back for his rental car.

Jack took a deep breath, feeling like he'd just dodged a bullet. A great big bullet that wasn't going to be dodged for long. He turned back to the mountain. They had to find them.


	19. 19

Atlantis didn't have an infirmary. Why would a race of beings capable of healing each other instantly actually need a place to take their injured? They _did_, however, have a room that was where the females gave birth, since that _wasn't_ something that could be taken care of with a simple touch. And this was the room where Ian had been guided to, and the room he more or less carried Sam to.

The room was fairly large, and held several beds, all of which were made, but covered in blankets that were so dusty and so old that Ian wasn't sure it would be safe to actually let Sam sit on them. Instead, he took the blanket that she had around her shoulders – again, taken from the now dead and unlamented First Prime – and put that down on the closest bed before helping Sam up onto it and taking stock of the situation.

Her pants – which were loose maternity pants in the same olive green as the BDUs Ian was wearing – were soaked, and he grimaced, unsure what to do first. Sam caught the look, her scared eyes bright with pain.

"Please tell me you've delivered a baby before?"

Ian shook his head, wishing he _could_ say that, and putting a couple dusty pillows around Sam's head and shoulders, and supporting her back so she was sitting up like the woman in the diagram had been.

"I saw a dog give birth, once."

"So you're going to do what she did?" It was obvious Sam was trying to take her mind off just how bad things were.

"God, no…" Ian said, giving her a slight smile. "She ate the placentas and licked the puppies clean."

Despite her pain, Sam chuckled at that, although it was a little hysterical. The humor faded quickly, though, and Ian saw the fear once more take dominance in her expression. He took her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Don't worry, Sam. It's supposed to be a natural thing… I won't let anything happen to you."

Like he could stop anything from happening? She thought to herself. But she didn't say it. Ian was barely controlling his own panic, and she didn't want to add to his with her own. Instead, she squeezed his hand tightly, unable to help but cling to him.

Ian took a quick look around the room. There was a sink, in the corner, and several panels that he knew from being here the first time that would open up if he touched them, probably revealing cupboards or shelves.

"I'll be right back… I need to see if I can find any-"

"Don't leave me…"

He shook his head.

"I'm not going to. I'll just be right there." He pointed to the far wall. "Just… um… take deep breaths. Like you learned in those Lamaze classes…"

"We aren't scheduled for Lamaze for another month," Sam told him, reminded once more just how early this baby was coming. God, she was going to lose it, she just _knew_ it.

He saw the renewed panic in her eyes and wished he could make it go away.

"Take deep breaths," he told her, demonstrating with a ragged, scared breath of his own. "Not too quickly, though, or you'll hyperventilate. Okay?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath. And then another. Once he was sure she was breathing, he let go of her hand and went to the sink, trying the faucet. It didn't work. Shit. The panels did open, however, and revealed several things that might come in handy – including sheets and towels that were wrapped in some kind of plastic that had kept them from gathering dust which made Ian think they might be safer to use than the ones on the bed.

He brought an armful of them over and draped one of the heavier sheets over Sam, who was breathing raggedly once more, a contraction settling in.

"They're close together, aren't they?" He asked.

She nodded. She knew enough to know that the closer they were the closer it would be to delivery time, but she couldn't make them go away.

"I… um… need to get you ready…"

She nodded again, well beyond caring what he saw and what he didn't – although she knew he was embarrassed, just by the way his ears reddened and his voice became even more uncertain than it had been.

"I promise you won't have to marry me," she gasped, trying to put him at least a little at ease about the whole thing.

He gave her a partial smile, knowing what she was doing and appreciating it, and quickly undressed her, thinking that he'd give anything just then to have Janet Fraiser walk into the room with some smart assed comment.

"Oh, Jesus…"

Her thighs were smeared with liquid, which he wiped clean, but what terrified him was that the delivery was far more advanced than he'd expected. Jacob wasn't wasting any time. The moment he took his first look, he realized that she was well on her way to having him, and he looked at Sam over the sheet he'd covered her lower body with, his eyes wide and panicked.

Which made _her_ panic, too.

"_What_? What is it?"

"I think it's the head… give me a second…"

"_Give you a second_?" She couldn't hide the hysteria in her voice, and Ian tried to school his expression, knowing that his own fear wasn't helping hers.

"I'm sorry… just… just _breath_, okay? Deep breaths…"

He needed to figure out which part of the diagram they were on – because they were long past the first step. You didn't have to be a doctor to see that. Okay… the part that was showing – which was stretching her impossibly wide – _had_ to be the head. That was a relief, because at least it meant that the baby wasn't breech – something he was quick to point out as he grabbed up a towel and got to work between her legs.

"That's _got_ to be the head, Sam," he said, shakily, his eyes on what he was doing, but her eyes on him, even as she felt herself pushing without even consciously doing it. "Which is good, because it means he's in the right position. At least he has a better sense of direction than Jack does, right?"

He watched in amazement as more of the head appeared, and watched as Sam's stomach and lower abdomen convulsed as her body pushed at the baby, knowing what to do without too much assistance from her.

"He's got _hair_…"

More appeared, and the head was completely out, and Ian thought he was going to pass out. Then realized he'd been holding his breath, and took a couple of deep, gasping breaths, much like the ones Sam was taking.

She couldn't really focus much on what he was saying, but she reacted to his amazement with another push, now a little more in tune with her body and knowing – sort of – what to do. It hurt, but not as much as she'd thought it was supposed to – and she realized the baby wasn't as large as it was supposed to be, which might be easing things along. She pushed again, feeling a little hope, because things seemed to be going okay, and felt the pain escalate a bit as she was suddenly caught up in the worst contraction yet. Unable to bite down on the pain, Sam cried out, and Ian flinched, even as he held the tiny shoulders, supporting him as the rest of the baby slid out, pushed by contractions that seemed to ripple through Sam one right after another until they seemed to be one big one.

"He's a boy, Sam," Ian told her, looking down just to make sure, and smiling despite himself. He had a baby in his hand.


	20. 20

She heard him, but she didn't hear the baby cry, and she was sure that was what was supposed to happen next. Right? Gasping, because her contractions weren't finished – although they didn't hurt as bad now – Sam looked at Ian, who was looking down at his hands, an unreadable expression on his face. Or maybe she just couldn't focus through the sweat that was pouring off her, dripping into her eyes and stinging them.

"Is he okay…? She asked. "Ian…?"

Oh, God, he was tiny. Not that Ian was positive how big a baby was supposed to be at birth, but Jacob was itty bitty. And silent. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his tiny neck, but when Ian took hold of it to move it, he found that it wasn't tight, and wasn't blocking the infant's breathing. Then he realized he had to cut the cord, still, so Jacob would breath on his own, and Ian reached into the sheath that had held his knife but was now holding the bloody knife that he'd taken from Sam to kill Cato.

But before he could cut it, he needed to tie off the ends of the cord – at least according to the diagram in his mind. Improvising for the lack of any clamps, he used a cut shoelace to tie off both ends, and slashed easily through the cord. And watched as Jacob slowly turned blue.

"Shit."

"Ian? What is it?"

Sam sat up more, trying to see what was going on, and gasped in pain as she moved far more than she should have.

"Easy, Sam," Ian said. "He's fine…"

Desperately, he closed his eyes, searching the baby like he had searched Sam, and reaching with that new awareness into little Jacob's body, trying to find out what was wrong. And found the problem immediately.

The little lungs hadn't developed, yet. They were perfectly formed, as was everything else inside the tiny body, but they weren't completely finished, since the last two months were exclusively for weight gain and final development, and Jacob had been robbed of that by circumstances that had nothing to do with him, and everything against him.

Ian was there, though, and knew what to do. He didn't even need a diagram for this one. With infinite care, he started fixing things, broadening the lungs a bit to allow them to take more oxygen, increasing the muscle mass in the tiny heart, putting the final touches on what should have been done over the next couple of month, while at the same time strengthening bones that were too fragile to handle what might come, using his own energies and passing them on to the tiny form in his hands.

A tiny form that suddenly gasped as lungs were jumpstarted, and then began to wail – weakly at first – but then with far more enthusiasm as Jacob protested the difference in his surroundings. It wasn't cold I the room, but it was definitely not as warm as it had been, and he wasn't happy about it.

Sam held her breath at the first wheezing wail, and then released it in a strangled cry of happiness and relief when the cry strengthened. That wasn't the cry of a baby in distress.

"Oh, thank God…"

Ian came back into himself with a gasp of his own, feeling about as tired as he could ever remember feeling and knowing he was nowhere near finished. Looking down at the baby – who wasn't blue any more, but wasn't a pink cute baby like Ian thought babies were supposed to look like. He was covered with some kind of mucus and white stuff, and a little bloody and not at all like a healthy cherubic baby, but Ian knew he was, so he had to assume that was what babies all looked like. Even though the _puppies_ had come out looking like cute puppies when he'd seen them born.

He took one of the towels, and wiped Jacob off as well as he could, also stimulating the infant – although he didn't know that, he just knew he was doing what the diagram had said to do. Too tired to do a really thorough job of it, he finally wrapped the baby in yet another towel – this one dry – and handed him to Sam, resting the still screaming baby on his mother's stomach.

"Take him, Sam," Ian said, smiling at her as well as he could. She looked pale and sweaty and as exhausted as he'd ever seen her looking, but she also looked more beautiful than he could ever have imagined any one could look after going through what she had.

She smiled, too, taking the wrapped bundle in her arms and then looking at her watch.

"March 23rd, at 1305 hours…"

Ian nodded, looking at his watch as well, his head dropping in exhaustion.

"He looks a little like Thor, though…"

She laughed, feeling giddy, and too caught up in looking at the little being in her arms to realize just how tired Ian was, and it was a few moments before she realized he wasn't finished. She turned from the baby to Ian, who was looking under the sheet and between her legs, but she could feel him cleaning her off and wiping her thighs with careful motions.

"I need you to push the placenta out, Sam…" he said, his voice with an odd quality to it that Sam decided had to be embarrassment again. She smiled, even with the pain she was feeling, and felt yet another contraction as her body started pushing again, ready to clear out the last of the afterbirth that had supported her son.

OOOOOOOO

Daniel met Jack at the elevators, obviously waiting for him.

"How did it go?"

"Badly," Jack admitted. "I don't think he bought any of it."

Daniel's expression turned worried.

"What's he going to do?"

"He's going to wait for us to get a hold of him – unless he becomes impatient and starts asking more questions."

"Would he do that?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Let's hope the Asgard find something, soon, then…"

"Yeah…"

Never had Jack felt so helpless, though…

OOOOOOOO

The Asgard received the coordinates of the planet that the Tok'ra had found the alien ship on from the Tok'ra and in their ships converged on the planet far quicker than anyone might have expected. They didn't really think it was their duty to search for the missing Tau'ri, but Thor had made it perfectly clear what O'Neill had said, and that yes, he'd been absolutely serious.

What they saw when they arrived at the planet was not what they were expecting. A Goa'uld mothership was in orbit, but even as they raised their shields, the Asgard realized that all was not well with the ship, and that it wasn't the danger it might have been. There was a gaping hole in the side of the ship, and it was obviously disabled.

After a brief consultation between the commanders of the Asgard ships, Thor himself toggled the communications controls and hailed the Goa'uld ship.

OOOOOOOOO

"We should probably eat something…"

Jack shook his head, telling Daniel and Janet wordlessly that he wasn't hungry. O'Neill was sitting in the briefing room, his arms around Jaffer who was cuddled between his legs, his warm body pressed tightly against Jack's chest and belly, giving his Jack all the comfort he could.

Before Janet could say anything, though – at almost exactly 1:05 PM, Jaffer suddenly raised his head, so quickly that he actually hit Jack in the jaw with his black muzzle. There was a slight pause, and then Jaffer suddenly let loose a howl. A long, howl that drew everyone's attention and made Jack look down at his dog with a worried expression on his already drawn face.

Jaffer didn't look upset at all, though. On the contrary, the black lab was wagging his tail furiously, his brown eyes – which had been mournful only moment before – were suddenly cheerful and happy. So happy that Jack smiled, despite his worries, feeling a sudden surge of happiness with absolutely no idea where it had come from.

"What's wrong with him?" Daniel asked, shocked.

Jack grinned, unsure why he was doing it, and slapped Jaffer's side lovingly as the howl faded but the cheerful look remained.

"I don't know if anything is…"


	21. 21

By the time he had Sam cleaned up as well as he could with only towels and no water, Ian knew that he was done. There were a dozen things left to do; he had to figure out how to integrate the Ancient technology so that they could use the communications to call home and get them to open the iris, he had to get Sam and the baby back to the Gateship – even though he knew she shouldn't be up walking around just yet – and he had the whole problem of trying to figure out how to get them through the gate from Atlantis to the SGC when he wasn't all that sure the Gateship would fit in the embarkation room, and he knew he wasn't pilot enough to squeeze it in without crashing and killing himself, Sam, the baby, and probably half the Marines that would be guarding the gate itself.

The problem was, he was exhausted. Ancients could heal each other with minimal fuss, Ian was certain, but his ability to do it wasn't innate. He hadn't been born to it, he'd been given the ability with the Ancient download – the same way Jack would have been able to do it if he hadn't went to the Asgard to get them to remove the Ancient's knowledge. He'd drained himself, and coupled with the injuries he'd taken – most especially the blow to the side of the head, although his sides were killing him from being kicked repeatedly – Ian wasn't positive he'd be able to get them to the door, much less do all those other things he still had to do.

Sam was blissfully unaware of that, though. She was completely and utterly distracted by the baby in her arms. He'd stopped crying, finally, and had given his mother a quick look, probably trying to figure out who this person was watching him so intently and sniffing with happiness, and had fallen asleep. Being born was hard work, after all.

It was only when she felt Ian cover her with a blanket, making sure she was warm, that Sam was distracted from the baby and looked over at him. Just in time to see him sigh with exhaustion and move away from the support of the bed he'd been braced against.

"Ian?"

He turned at her voice, started to say something reassuring, and promptly passed out, falling to the floor in a heap.

"_Ian_!"

She started to move, the sleeping baby transferred to one arm and sitting up to swing her legs over the bed, when a movement at the door caught her attention, and two people entered. One was a dark haired man she didn't recognize, and the other was Dotty Adams.

Sam stared at her, her grip on the infant tightening, as both people came into the room.

"Dotty…"

The woman smiled, walking over to Sam and putting a restraining hand on her to keep her from getting up, while the man – who seemed to be a little older than Dotty – went to Ian, kneeling down and resting his hand on the unconscious cadet's cheek.

"Easy, Sam… we're here to help."

"But… but you're… _dead_…"

Dotty nodded, a warm smile on her lips when she looked at the baby in Sam's arms.

"In _this_ reality, I know."

"_This_ reality? You're not-"

"We don't have time for explanations, Sam," Dotty told her, resting her hand lightly on Sam's cheek. Immediately she felt an easing of some of the inner aches she'd been feeling – affects of slight tearing from the delivery although it hadn't been serious enough to warrant any concern. Not just then anyways. "How is he, father?" Doty asked, turning from Sam to the dark-haired man.

"_Father_?" Sam repeated, dumbly, still hocked by the sudden appearance of Shawn's dead mother. "Then he's an Anci-"

"He's unconscious," Alexander answered, scooping Ian easily up into his arms, although Sam didn't think the slight man would have been strong enough to make it look so effortless. "Let's get them out of here."

Sam looked at Ian, then at Dotty.

"Can't you heal him?" she asked. "Like you did Jac-"

"We could," Dotty said, nodding. "But it's better that he's out for this – It's the only way he won't remember any of this…"

"But-"

"We don't have time for explanations, Sam. Jack's worried sick, and being here is hard on my father." She reached for the baby, taking him in careful, loving arms. "Can you walk a short distance if I support you?"

Still stunned, Sam nodded, and carefully got off the bed, her body aching but nowhere near as badly as it would have been without Dotty's help. The sheet and blankets fell, though, revealing another problem – one that was easily fixed. With her free hand, Dotty recovered one of the clean sheets from the stack Ian had brought over and tied it around Sam. She was still dressed from the waist up – Ian hadn't taken off anything that he hadn't absolutely _had_ to – so with the sheet giving her as much protection and modesty from the waist down as possible, it was enough. Dotty put her arm around Sam's waist, supporting her, and nodded to Alexander, who headed out the door with Ian still in his arms.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked, taking the first few careful steps.

"We're going to get the three of you back where you belong."

"How-"

"Shhh…" Dotty smiled, giving Sam a little squeeze with the arm that was around her waist. "I know you have a million questions, but they're all going to have to wait. Just concentrate on walking for now, okay? We'll take care of the rest."

There wasn't a lot Sam could say to that, and she and Dotty followed the dark haired man who was carrying Ian down the hall and back towards the room filled with Gateships, the baby in Dotty's arm still sound asleep.

OOOOOOOOOO

An hour after the first howl, Jack was still cuddling Jaffer, wondering at the waves of happiness and satisfaction that were coursing through him – especially when he knew that he should be worried as hell – and unable to concentrate on just how scared and helpless he was feeling. He'd given Janet a suspicious look, wondering if she'd somehow managed to dope him up without him noticing, but she seemed baffled by the occasional smile that would come to Jack's face, and the fact that he'd lost that angry, hopeless look. Daniel was just as perplexed, but neither of them had brought it up, unsure how to start a conversation like that.

Suddenly there was a low growl from the black lab, and a flash of white light. And Thor was standing there.

Before anyone in the room could react, the Asgard nodded a greeting to Jack.

"Greetings, O'Neill."

Never one for long hellos, Jack stood up, just as Hammond came out of his office, alerted to Thor's arrival by the brilliant light.

"What did you find?"

"In orbit above the undesignated planet that you and the Tok'ra were ambushed on, we found a Goa'uld mothership. Disabled by a very large hole in the hull."

Thor didn't give Jack a chance to ask the question that was forming on everyone's lips.

"We interrogated the Jaffa who were on the ship and found out several things – including that these are, indeed, the ones who captured Major O'Neill and Cadet Brooks. But they are not with them any longer."

And he went on to explain the escape to his stunned audience.


	22. 22

There were other places to sit on a Gateship, Sam found out. They just weren't there unless you _knew_ about them, like bringing down the nylon seats in the cargo bay of a C-5 Galaxy aircraft when it wasn't loaded with anything and you really wanted a place to sit besides the cold hard floor.

The dark haired man stretched Ian carefully out on the cold floor, but tucked an emergency pack he'd pulled from a side compartment under the cadet's head, before pulling down a bench like seat – and then leaving him there and heading into the pilot area. Dotty helped Sam down onto this seat, and it hurt a bit to sit, even though it was slightly padded and gave way under her weight a little. Then Dotty handed her the infant and sat across from Sam, with Ian's inert form lying between the two women.

"Where are you from?" Sam asked. She was able to focus quite a bit more, now, mainly because she wasn't giving birth anymore – although the appearance of Dotty completely out of the blue had stunned her into focus as well.

"A different reality," Dotty answered.

"I know…" she'd already said that, right? "But which-"

"It doesn't matter. We're not going to be here long. Certainly not-"

"Where are we?" Sam asked, interrupting. "How are we going to get back?"

She had a million questions, but she was anxious to get home, too. Anxious to show Jack his newborn son and to have Janet check the baby to make sure he was truly okay.

"We're going to gate to a different planet," Dotty said as both of them felt the Gateship moving, and then sinking into the floor. "Then you and Ian – and _Jacob_, of course – will have to walk through the gate. This ship won't fit into your embarkation room without a lot of squeezing, and we can't go with you."

"Sure you could," Sam objected. "You could help us learn how to-"

"Sam." It was Dotty's turn to interrupt. "We _can't_. Neither of us belong here – in this place – and we need to get back. Besides, you won't have the ship anymore, once you leave it. It'll be here."

"But we-"

"We're going," Came a call from the pilot area, and Sam leaned forward to see the pilot area, and saw the dark-haired man (Dotty's father!) at the controls of the craft. Looking out the front window, she could see they were facing an active Stargate, and Sam looked over at Dotty as they moved through it. She'd finish her argument when they reached their destination.

OOOOOOOOO

"So the Goa'uld don't have them?" Daniel asked.

Thor shook his head.

"Correct. At least, the ones who captured them in the first place do not. We have not been able to find the ship they escaped in – yet – and cannot rule out the possibility that they were captured by another system lord. Although we do not think this could have happened. At the moment, the Asgard are checking all planets in the range of the ship. There are a few that even have Stargates on them."

"So they could land on one of them and head here…" Jack said, his head in his hands, and Jaffer's heavy head on his thigh. What a roller coaster of emotions!

"It is possible. If they do not encounter any resistance on whatever planet they land on. Not all of them are uninhabited."

Jack sighed, and looked at the clock, wondering how much time he had before Nathan Brooks decided to call on them again, and wondering if he could go with the Asgard and look for Sam. He couldn't risk being gone, though, and he knew that was what Hammond would tell him if he brought it up.

"Did they tell you Sam's condition?" Fraiser asked Thor, her face worried.

The Asgard shook his head and stood up, looking at O'Neill once more.

"When we have more news, I will return."

There was a flash of light, and he vanished, with Jack and Jaffer both growling softly at the noise only they could hear.

Daniel looked over at Jack.

"At least they're not with the Goa'uld."

Jack nodded. It was a comfort – scant comfort, yes, but a comfort no less.

"Yeah… but I want her-"

Suddenly alarms went up all through the complex, and everyone started.

"_Unscheduled off-world activation! Repeat! Unscheduled offworld activation! Security teams to the embarkation room!"_

OOOOOOOO

"Where are we?" Sam asked – again.

"This is _Aeonee_," Dotty answered, smiling at Sam because she knew it wasn't exactly the answer she'd wanted to hear.

They were out of the Gateship, now, and standing on a world Sam was fairly certain she'd never been to. A desolate sort of place that was mainly rocks and dirt. Alexander had taken charge of Ian while Dotty helped Sam down the ramp. More importantly, though, there was a Stargate standing near at hand, with a DHD close to it.

The male Ancient had strapped the cadet to what looked like a stretcher, but was designed to be pulled by one person and not carried by two. Kind of like a travois, Sam decided. Dotty had then taken Sam's infant from her, and wrapped him thoroughly, head as well – to protect him from the cold of the gate, she'd explained – and had rested him on Ian's chest, and had then carefully strapped him to the cadet so he wouldn't fall off.

"You'll have to do all the pulling," Dotty said, apologetically. "When we dial up the Tau'ri Stargate, we'll open the iris – they won't be able to close it until after the Stargate senses you and the others are through."

Alexander went to the dial device and started pushing symbols, while Sam tried one last time to convince Dotty that they needed her to come back.

"I can't Sam. I don't belong in this reality – any ore than you would in mine."

Sam looked over at the Gateship, which was standing abandoned.

"What about the-"

"We'll take it back with us."

"But we could use the technology to-"

"You have access to the technology already. You just don't know it yet. But you will, when you need it the most."

"Like today…?"

Dotty shook her head.

"There are other forces in motion, Sam. A serious threat is building on your peoples' horizons."

"But-"

"Don't worry," Dotty told her, hugging her lightly as the gate flared to life and Dotty's father came over as well.

The dark haired man was someone Sam had never seen before, of course, but she had the oddest feeling that she'd known him a long time. He gave her a gentle smile, and then, surprising Sam, pulled her into a hug. A warm embrace that made all Sam's troubles and worries fade to nothingness that Sam returned before she realized she didn't even know the guy. But it felt _right_, like she'd cuddled him a hundred times. A _million_ times.

Just as she was going to try to convince him that he and Dotty needed to come with her – she wanted to explore this weird connection she felt with him a little more – Sam felt a slight stinging deep in her head, and everything went blank.


	23. 23

_Author's Note: Okay, just a reminder that Ian and Dotty are the only two that have referred to the baby as Jacob. (Although Sam's heard Ian call him it a couple of times) So technically, the baby isn't named Jacob yet… (although we, of course, already know what he'll be called)_

OOOOOOOO

They thundered into the gate room as a group – Jack and Jaffer, Daniel, Teal'c and Jack – while Hammond, Fraiser and Jacob all stopped at the command center.

"Why is the iris open?" Hammond snapped.

"It opened on its own, Sir," the technician said, already trying to close it. "We can't get it shut."

Hammond swore and reached for the microphone.

"Look alive, teams. We can't get the iris shut!"

The tension in the room below Hammond and the others increased tenfold, and Jack reached for the Beretta hanging from his side. He hadn't changed since the ambush – none of them had – and although he didn't have his P90, the Beretta was definitely better than nothing.

And then the first form came through, and Jack recognized her immediately. The Beretta in his hand clattered to the floor.

"Sam!"

She was pale and looked awful, and was dressed half in sheets and half in her uniform, pulling something behind her, but there was no mistaking her – Jack could have recognized her in a dark room wearing a blindfold. And Jaffer recognized her, too, just as quickly.

The black lab gave a happy bark, and lunged up the ramp, his tail wagging furiously, reaching her before she even finished dragging her burden through the gate. Even as he ran up the ramp behind the lab, Jack realized that it was Ian she was dragging; the cadet wearing a uniform that was covered in blood and a small bundle on his chest.

As Jack grabbed Sam up in his arms, hugging her tightly, he was aware of several things all at once. The gate shut down behind Sam, who dropped the end of her litter. The others were crowding around, all talking at once. Sam seemed far too slim. And there was a sudden wail of protest from the bundle in on Ian's chest. The wail of-

"Jack…"

Sam collapsed into his arms, holding him and sobbing, and Daniel knelt by Ian, who was also swarmed over by Jaffer, who was busily whuffling the crying bundle. Daniel undid the straps holding it in place, and took up the bundle, his heart thumping crazily as he pulled the towel back to reveal a screaming, bright red little face – who was obviously not happy with gate travel interrupting his nap.

"Oh, my God…"

Jack had his face buried in the side of Sam's face, his own tears mingling with hers, but he looked down at the tone of wonder in the archeologist's voice.

"What…?"

Daniel stood up, cradling the infant. It was so tiny… so…

"Sam?"

Her brilliant smile was all the answer Daniel needed, which was a good thing, because she was so choked up that she couldn't talk anyways. Daniel smiled, looking at the baby again, and then at Jack.

"She had the baby…"

Jack froze. His eyes went from Daniel, to Sam – taking in her beautiful bright eyes and smile – and then back to Daniel, and the crying bundle.

"The baby…?" He looked at Sam again, awed, his hand going to her belly, where the bulge he'd become accustomed to was now mostly gone."You had…?"

She nodded, her eyes unreadable as she leaned against him.

"I was right… it's a boy…"

Daniel grinned and handed the baby to Jack, who took him almost reverently, looking down at the red face and suddenly grinning like an idiot.

"A boy…?" He looked at Sam again, and then –

"Move!"

Jack was jostled by the arrival of Fraiser, who gave Sam a quick look, decided she was in good hands for the moment, and knelt by Ian, pushing Jack (the dog) and Jaffer both out of the way so she could see better.

"Oh my God…"

The cadet was literally drenched with dried blood – his uniform was stiff with it, and the side of his head was smeared as well. There was a gash and bruise on Ian's temple – explaining the blood there – but when Janet ripped open Ian's shirt to look for the cause of the rest of the blood, she didn't find anything. A fair number of bruises around his ribs, but no bleeding injuries.

"It's not his, Janet," Sam said, looking from Jack and their son down to Ian, aware of what she was looking for. "He slashed the throat of a Goa'uld system lord…"

Sam wasn't hurt. Not much, anyways. She didn't understand why she felt so much better than she had before coming through the gate – relief probably – but she didn't hurt nearly as bad as she had, and was able to ease that concern at least. With her arms still around Jack – she couldn't help it, she had to hold him – she was watching everything around her and could focus so much better. Most everything that had happened was a blur of pain and contractions, but she remembered that much at least.

"Sam!"

Jacob came rushing up the ramp, then, as well, pushing his way through the others, and Sam let go of Jack to be gathered in her father's arms.

"Thank God you're alive…" he murmured, softly, hugging her and crying. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Sam clung to him, and wasn't even aware when Janet started ushering them all down the ramp to make room for the medical teams that were arriving.

"Give him to me, Colonel," Janet said to Jack, holding her hands out.

Jack scowled, looking down at his son and hugging him closer, moving him away from Janet's gaze.

"I just _got_ him-"

"He's two months early, Jack," Janet said, not backing down, even though she understood completely. "We need to make sure he's okay."

"You think he's hurt?" Jack asked, looking down at the baby with sudden concern. He was still whimpering, but not screaming like he had been.

"I don't know, Colonel," Janet answered, reaching out and gently taking the infant from his father's arms. "Let me check him out. Just to be sure…"

Reluctantly, Jack handed the baby over, and Janet cradled him carefully, whisking him out of the room. Sam turned to watch them go, and then turned back to Jack, still cradled protectively in Jacob's arms. Jack watched them leave, too, as did everyone in the room, and then he turned to Sam.

"You're okay?"

She nodded, and then turned to watch as Ian was loaded onto a gurney and rolled put of the room as well. Jack followed her gaze.

"What happened to him?"

There was a blank spot in her mind. Sam couldn't remember exactly what had happened, although there were a few things that she _did_ know, and one of them was Ian's role in certain things. Although there was also a lot of pain mixed in with those memories.

"He saved us…" Sam said, softly, looking at Jack again, and then at Jacob. "And then when we were in a safe place, he delivered the baby…"

"He did?"

Jack looked back towards the door, as if to call Ian back to the room. Which didn't happen, of course.

Sam nodded, even as a medic took her arm gently to guide her to a gurney as well.

"He didn't like it, though…" she said as she was covered with a warm blanket. She smiled; it was funny now, but not so funny then. "You should have seen his face…"


	24. 24

Janet Fraiser was confused. Relieved, _yes_, but confused. She'd whisked baby O'Neill – they didn't have a name to call him just yet – away from the embarkation room and straight to the infirmary, ready to ply him with oxygen and call a preemie specialist to come down and consult with her (preemies not being something they often had to worry about in the SGC, and so it wasn't a doctor they normally carried on staff), but as far as she could tell, there was nothing to worry about. The baby was tiny – like every other preemie. So small he fit in her cupped palms with just a little bit of him sticking out. But when she ran her tests on him, she found that lungs that should have been small and underdeveloped were perfect – as were his other organs, as near as she could tell. All the tests came back fine, and while it was a relief, it was also a mystery.

But the baby _was_ healthy. Healthy enough that he didn't need to be kept away from everyone else. She did a better job of cleaning him off, weighed him, measured him and filled out an official birth record – some of it anyways, since there were a few spaces missing, such as time of birth, and name – she wasn't about to put _outer space_ as his place of birth – and then wrapped him in a warm blanket and carried him out into the rest of the infirmary.

On the way to Sam's bed, however, she was stopped by the medics who had been checking Ian over. With the baby cuddled in one arm, Janet walked over to the cadet's bed and looked down at him.

"How is he?"

The doctor who had been put in charge of him shrugged, taking just a quick look at Sam's baby before answering.

"Someone really worked him over," he said, pulling the blanket down to Ian's waist and revealing the bruises that Janet had seen earlier. They were all in the same area – along his ribs – and spread from one side to the other, and probably around to the back.

"Beat him?"

"You don't get bruises like this falling out of bed," the doctor said, nodding. He flipped the blanket a little and revealed Ian's right leg. The thigh was fine, but there were also bruises along the knee area, and it was badly swollen – although they had the leg resting on towel-wrapped icepacks to deal with some of that swelling.

"Ouch."

Janet and the doctor both looked up. Jack had seen Janet emerging from the little room she'd taken his son into and had come to see how he was. And had walked up to Ian's bed just in time to get a good look at the bruises.

"The head wound isn't too bad," the doctor said. "Although it looks a lot worse than it is. The skull wasn't damaged, and we can't find any swelling in his brain, or hemorrhaging – bleeding."

"I _know_ what the word means," Jack said, scowling. "Why's he out, then?"

The doctor shrugged.

"It _has_ to be the head wound. The bruises would be painful, but there are no broken ribs, and no internal damages that we can find."

"You just said the head wound wasn't too bad."

"It's not. But it's all I can think of."

"I _need_ him awake."

Nate had to be climbing the walls by now, and probably Maggie was all that was stopping him from storming the SGC looking for answers.

"We're working on it, Sir."

Satisfied with the answer – for now – Jack turned to Janet, looking at the baby in her arms. She smiled, and handed him over, carefully, although she didn't need to tell Jack how to hold him. This wasn't his first baby, after all, and the arms that cradled the infant were gentle and supporting in all the right places.

"How is he?"

"As far as I can tell, Colonel, he's fine." Janet told him; nodding to the doctor she'd been talking to and leading O'Neill away from Ian's bed and towards the one they'd put Sam into – just as a precaution. "His lungs, heart and everything else seem to be well developed."

Jack looked down at his son, who was asleep and completely unaware of the tender look his father was giving him just then. Janet saw it, though, and couldn't help but smile.

"He looks a lot like you."

He did, too. Even Jack could see that. Jack grinned foolishly, and they walked the rest of the way to Sam's bed, where she was surrounded by Teal'c, Daniel, Hammond and Jacob. Sprawled next to her on the bed, giving her someone to cuddle against, was Jaffer, and at the foot of the bed keeping her feet warm was Jack (the dog).

She looked up when he came over, saw the bundle in his arms and smiled, looking over at Janet, questioningly.

"He's fine." She said, as Jack handed Sam the baby and sat down on the other side of the bed, penning Sam in between himself and Jaffer.

"Are you sure he's a boy?" Daniel asked. Daniel had been certain Sam was carrying a girl, and had happily joined in on the give _the baby girl a million names that no one would like_ game that everyone else was playing as well. Only Sam, Shawn, Ian and River had believed it was going to be a boy.

Janet smiled.

"Positive."

"So much for naming him Annabelle, then."

They all looked at Daniel with varying degrees of disbelief.

"_Annabelle_?"

"What? It's a pretty name…"

"He'd get beat up every day…" Jack said, smiling at the baby in Sam's arms.

"What _are_ you going to name him?" Fraiser asked, curiously. "Jack Junior?"

Sam smiled and shook her head. She'd brought that name up several times, but Jack didn't like the idea.

"Not a chance," Jack said, adding his opinion to that one more time. He looked down at Sam, a question in his eyes. And she smiled again, understanding immediately what he was asking, and nodded. As much as he was certain – _positive_ – that she was going to have a girl, they had decided on a name in the event of a boy.

"We're going to name him Jacob," Jack said, looking at Sam's father with a slight smile on his face. Then he turned to Hammond. "Jacob George O'Neill."

Both older men looked surprised, and Sam was pleased to see that neither looked displeased with the name. Jacob recovered first, and reached for the baby, taking him carefully from his mother.

"Jacob George O'Neill…" He smiled and looked over at Hammond. "Poor kid."

OOOOOO

_Author's Note: If your name is Annabelle, don't take offense at my teasing of it, because it's a very pretty name._


	25. 25

_Author's Note: Yeah, in Scions, Shawn tells Daniel about Jacob O'Neill (and Daniel told Janet) but they still didn't know that the firstborn was going to be the one named Jacob – or even a boy, so it was still something of a surprise for them._

OOOOOOO

The crowd was still gathered around Sam's bed ten minutes later, passing Jacob back and forth, when an Airman came over, looking at Sam and the baby for just a moment – because how many times did you see a newborn baby on base, after all – before turning to Jack.

"Colonel O'Neill. There's a phone call for you, Sir."

Jack frowned.

"Take a message and tell them I'll call them ba-"

"It's General Nathan Brooks, Sir," the Airman said. "He says he wants to talk to you."

It was obvious from the tone of voice the young man was using that Nate hadn't been _quite_ that polite.

Jack swore, and moved off Sam's bed.

"Use the phone in my office, Colonel," Janet said, handing Jacob over to his grandfather and following Jack as he left the bedside. "I'll see what progress has been made with Ian."

Jack nodded and headed for Janet's office while the doctor went over to Ian's bed.

"O'Neill."

"Jack. Where's Ian?"

"He's here, Nate."

"Let me talk to him."

"He's kind of… indisposed right now…"

"What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"He and Sam were off base – like I told you – and they had a slight… mishap. Sam went into labor and Ian delivered the baby."

"What? Are you serious?" The angry, annoyed tone was gone immediately. "How's Sam?"

That didn't surprise Jack. Nate liked Sam – and not just because she was married to Jack – and would instantly be concerned about her. Especially since he knew she wasn't due for another two months as well.

"She's fine. So is the baby."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What was it, Jack? Boy or girl?"

Jack smiled.

"Boy. Jacob George."

Since Nate knew both of the baby's namesakes, Jack wasn't at all surprised that he sounded as pleased by the name as Hammond and Jacob both had been.

"Good name. Lots of brass to live up to."

"Yup."

"Ian's okay?"

Nate wasn't going to be distracted long.

"He's fine, Nate. He got hit in the head, but it's not bad."

"He what?"

"Don't panic. He's fine."

"I'm not _panicked_. Where is he?"

Meaning he was going to come charging down to the SGC then and there and check on his boy. _Ian_ might have his doubts about how his father felt about him sometimes, but Jack didn't. General Brooks didn't tell his son he loved him very often, but he showed it all the time. Especially when he was concerned about him.

"He's here, Nate. Just getting checked out. Don't let Maggie worry; Fraiser says he's going to be fine, and will be released from her infirmary soon. You can see him then."

"I want to see him now, Jack."

"We're a little swamped right now, Nate. What with the baby and all. How about we bring him to you?"

"When?"

Well, shit. Jack looked over at the bed Ian was in, but couldn't see anything because of the privacy screen and had no idea how long it was going to take to wake him up. Nate had just backed him into a corner, and Jack had allowed him to do it – probably because he wasn't thinking all that clearly.

"Give us a couple of hours."

"I already gave you a couple of hours. Maggie wants to see Ian – and she doesn't care if he has a bump on his head, God damn it."

"Nate…"

"Jack. We'll be at Cheyenne Mountain in an hour."

"But-"

The phone went dead, and Jack swore again and hung it up. Damn, he _hated_ dealing with people who were as impatient and annoying as he was! He sighed, and went out the door, walking over to Ian's bed instead of back to Sam's.

The cadet was still asleep, and Janet was giving him a quick check up. She looked up from taking his blood pressure as Jack approached.

"Well?"

"Nate's going to be here in an hour. We need to get him awake."

"I'm working on it."

"Can't you give him something to wake him up?"

"I can if you want a zombie. All he'd be good for is walking around – and _that_ not so much with the bruising on his knee. To get him completely alert, we're going to need to wake him up naturally."

Jack went to the other side of the bed, and shook Ian's bare shoulder.

"Ian?"

"Colonel, that's probably not going to work."

"I need him awake, Doc." Jack shook Ian's shoulder harder. "Ian, wake up."

"_Hmmm_?"

The noise was the first thing anyone had heard from Ian since he'd been brought through the Stargate, and Jack and Janet both felt a ray of hope.

"Hey. Wake up."

"No."

He didn't open his eyes.

"Ian… I need you to wake up. Your mom and dad are coming…"

"I'm _tired_…"

"They're going to be here soon. You can sleep later… I promise. Just get up and let them know you're okay…"

"Tell them to come back later…"

"Ian…" Jack put on his best stern voice.

Ian rolled over onto his belly, and covered his head with his pillow.

"Go away…"

The voice was muffled, but they could both understand what he said.

Damn it.

Jack scowled, looking at Janet, and then an almost evil smile creased his face.

"_Jaffer_! Come here, boy."

Over on Sam's bed, the black lab raised his head at the sound of his name, looking from Sam to back where Jack was – even though he couldn't see him. Sam smiled, and slapped the dog's side.

"You'd better go see what he needs."

Carefully, the lab jumped off the bed, and then trotted over to where Jack was, following his nose until he nudged aside the privacy curtain and ambled up to Jack, eyes cheerful and tail wagging idly as he waited to see what his Jack wanted.

Jack patted the side of the bed – the spot right beside Ian – and grinned.

"Wake him up for me, Little Man."

Jaffer jumped up easily onto the bed, and started whuffling Ian, his cold nose slipping easily under the pillow and his long, wet tongue lashing at the cadet's cheek and ear. There was a groan of annoyance from under the pillow, and Ian brought his hand up. Jack gave Janet a triumphant smile, and she just shook her head.

What Jack didn't count on, though, was the fact that unlike most everyone else the Colonel knew, _Ian_ had a lab, too. And knew how their minds worked. The hand that was coming up didn't push the lab aside like Jack had figured it was going to. Instead, Ian wrapped his arm around Jaffer, pulling the big lab down next to him, bringing him tightly against his bare side and immediately distracting him from his licking by rubbing his belly. Despite himself, Jaffer gave a soft sigh of pleasure and closed his eyes, his head coming down to rest beside Ian's pillow.

Jack scowled.

Ian relaxed once more, obviously already almost asleep again.

"Ian… wake up. I need you."

"I'm _tired_…" Came the plaintive reply.

"I know. It won't take long… then you can sleep. As long as you want."

Jesus, he'd already delivered the guy's _baby_, what more could he possibly need? Ian was just too wiped out to care, though. Despite the sleep he'd had, there was a part of him that was just drained, and although he knew he'd be fine, eventually, it wasn't like he could just drag himself out of bed. Add to that the fact that Jaffer was warm and incredibly cuddle-able, and Ian didn't intend to get out of bed for anything.

Damn it.

Jack scowled down at the two in the bed, and decided it was time to pull out the ultimate weapon. The only thing he absolutely knew Ian wouldn't ignore.

"I'll be right back." He told Janet, who couldn't quite contain her amusement at this battle of wills. A battle of wills that Ian was winning. She nodded, and Jack vanished, only to return a few minutes later with Sam.

"Tell him I need him to wake up. Please?"

Sam sat gingerly on the edge of Ian's bed, and put her hand on his bare shoulder, rubbing it tenderly. She wasn't sure why he was so tired, but she was sure it was because of her, and if not for the fact that they absolutely couldn't have Nathan come storming through the base looking for his son, Sam would have let him sleep as long as he wanted.

"Ian? We need you to wake up. Just for a little bit. Please?"

The pillow moved and a tousled head poked out from under it, dark eyes opening and looking up at Sam, sleepily. She smiled down at him, unable to even express just then how grateful she was to him for what he'd done. Instead, her hand moved to brush against his cheek, and he sighed and closed his eyes again, although he knew he wasn't going to go back to sleep.

"Not for long?"

"No. Just long enough to let your mom and dad know you're okay."

"'kay."

Sam smiled, and looked over at Jack, who shook his head. Whatever it was she had, he needed to bottle it and market it.


	26. 26

_Author's Note: Yes, we will see some quiet time with Jack, Sam and baby, and yes, we'll have a meeting about what happened, but we have to get rid of Ian's folks, first!_

OOOOOOOOOOO

When it became obvious that Ian wasn't going to be able to get himself dressed – no matter how much he was willing to for Sam – it was Jack who helped him get dressed instead of Fraiser. Which was fine with all parties concerned – especially Ian. It was one thing for her to see him naked when he was hurt, but another when he was more or less – more less than more – awake and aware of what was going on around him.

Janet wanted to put him in surgical scrubs, which would have been far easier to get on him – and easier to put a brace on the injured knee – but Jack insisted on a uniform. He'd told Nate that Ian wasn't hurt, he said, and he wanted to make sure that the cadet's parents didn't get worried by them putting Ian in what obviously hospital clothing. So Daniel went off to the locker room, passing little Jacob to Hammond before he did, and fetched Ian a uniform.

By the time Jack had Ian dressed, and Janet had strapped a temporary brace onto the knee to support it as much as possible, most of the promised hour had passed, and Jack consulted with Hammond about where would be best for Nate and Maggie to meet up with Ian. Anywhere but the infirmary was Jack's choice, and Hammond suggested the Commissary, which wasn't all that far away, so it wouldn't be too much trouble to get Ian to, and it wasn't classified, which meant they didn't need to worry about granting Maggie permission to go there.

Promising Sam that he'd be back in a little bit, and cuddling his newborn son as well as he could without having every nurse in the place go _awww_ in one collective voice, Jack recruited Teal'c to help him, and the two of them each took a side and supported (carried) Ian to the commissary, where they settled him at a table in the corner and put a cup of sweetened coffee in front of him, hoping the caffeine and sugar would wake him up at least a little.

Teal'c told Jack he'd stay and watch Ian – who looked like he was going to fall asleep at any minute – if he wanted to return to Sam's side, but just as he was going to accept that offer, he was paged to the main gate.

Nate and Maggie had arrived.

"You stay with him," Jack said, standing up. "I'll go get them."

Teal'c nodded, and watched as Ian picked up his cup and sleepily took a sip of the coffee, grimacing at the overly sweet taste, and Jack hurried out of the room. He wanted to get Nate and Maggie in and out before the kid fell asleep again.

OOOOOOOOOO

"He looks tired."

The statement was almost accusatory, but Jack didn't blame Maggie at all as the three of them entered the Commissary, Jack carrying the box with the birthday cake Ian's folks had brought, and Nate and Maggie carrying bags with brightly wrapped packages. Ian did look tired. And sitting by Teal'c just made him look small and pale, which added to the look. The few Marines and Air force personnel that were in the room all looked up curiously as the small group entered, and most of them smiled when they realized what was going on. Birthdays were always fun.

"He's had a rough day, Maggie," Jack said.

Maggie smiled, reminded by the statement that Sam had had her baby.

"Do we get to see Jacob?"

"Big or little?"

"Is Jacob here, Jack?" Nate asked.

Damn it. Jack hadn't intended to let that slip. Another sign that he wasn't completely paying attention to what he was saying just then.

"He was in the area when we found out about the baby," Jack lied. "So he came as soon as he could."

"Well, tell him to get his ass down here," Nate said, walking over and setting the bags down on the table and giving Teal'c his hand. "Murray, it's a pleasure to see you again." Nate never forgot a name or a face and he'd met Teal'c on Thanksgiving.

Teal'c gave a rare smile, and shook Nathan's hand, and then stood and gave Maggie a bow in greeting.

"It is a pleasure to see both of you."

"Want some cake?" Nate asked, as Jack set the box on the table and Maggie came around and gave Ian a hug, already looking him over with the intense look that only a mother could bring to bear with her offspring.

Jack knew the minute she saw the stitched gash on Ian's temple – although the cadet's dark hair hid some of the deeper bruising, luckily. Her brow furrowed and her expression darkened.

"Are you okay?" She asked her son, who smiled sleepily at her, obviously glad to see her, but unable to wake up completely – even for her.

"I'm fine, mom. Just a little wiped."

Maggie sat down next to Ian, reaching out and taking his hand, and Jack was glad that the uniform Ian was wearing hid the bruises.

"We brought you presents."

Ian smiled again, looking at the packages that were littering the table. Everyone loved getting presents, and even he was no exception to that rule.

"You could have shipped them."

"And missed your 20th birthday? Not a chance."

Nate turned to Jack while Ian was talking to Maggie.

"Are you going to get Jacob?"

"Which one?"

"Both of them. Sam's bedridden, I suppose?"

Jack nodded.

"It's just a precaution, but Fraiser might let her come and see you. And show off the baby. If she doesn't show him off, I know Jacob will."

"Tell her she'll miss out on cake if she doesn't come…"

O'Neill smiled.

"I'll do that."

Jack and Teal'c left – to give Ian some alone time with his folks – and Nate turned to his son, giving him a hard look.

"Some day I'm going to come visit you, and you're going to surprise me by being in good shape."

Ian grinned.

"I _am_ in good shape. I've just had a long day."

"You're working too hard," Maggie decided, reaching out and touching his temple, right above the stitches, obviously feeling for swelling.

"Nah. It's easy stuff," Ian told her, wincing when she found a sore spot, but not moving his head because he knew it would hurt her feelings if he pulled away and he'd rather chop off his own arm than do that. "Just a lot of hours. And the whole baby delivering thing was _not_ something I'd care to repeat."

"How did _that_ happen?" Maggie asked, smiling, and moving her hand away when she noticed she was hurting him.

"Ugh…" Ian leaned back in his seat. "I don't even want to talk about it…"

Which was completely understandable to both of them.

Nate smiled, and started pulling packages out of the bags and putting them in front of Ian.

"You start on these, and I'll go get some plates for the cake."


	27. 27

"Wow, it's a regular _party_…"

Jack smiled down at Sam, who was in a wheelchair (just a precaution) and holding Jacob, and then looked through the doorway to the commissary again before wheeling her in. She was right; it _did_ look like a party. The cake Nathan and Maggie had brought was a big one – Nate did everything big like that, so Jack wasn't surprised – and when he'd gone to get plates for it, he'd called the rest of the military personnel in the room over for their share of it. It wasn't like Ian was going to eat the whole thing himself, after all. (Although he would have tried, if given the chance)

Teal'c, Daniel and Jacob had all joined Ian and his folks at the table – Hammond had some work he needed to get done, but promised he'd make an appearance later – and Janet was on her way, saying she had a couple of calls to make once she got Sam ready to move, and reminding Jack not to let her get up and walk around – and to be careful with that baby. Like they needed to be told that!

By the time Sam and Jack arrived, the table was littered with wrapping paper and all sorts of opened presents with another one in his hand. He smiled when he saw Jack and Sam, though, and everyone's attention went the same direction as his gaze. Nate grinned hugely, and got to his feet, coming over and looking down at Sam and the baby.

"How are you feeling?"

Sam nodded, smiling. It was hard not to smile when Nate smiled at you, because the big man did it so rarely and genuinely that it was a real treat. Exactly like Ian.

"I'm good. Thanks to Ian."

Nate looked over at his son, who hadn't heard the comment, and Sam could see pride in those blue eyes of his.

"Yeah, well… maybe he should be a doctor, huh?"

She laughed and shook her head.

"I don't think he'd like that."

"Can I see Jake?"

Sam smiled at the shortening of her son's name, and decided that she liked that. _Jake_. She nodded and handed the infant up to him, almost telling him to be careful until she realized that he was treating the little boy like the treasure he already was. Jacob was awake – being passed from person to person for the majority of his life was something that would keep a fellow up, after all – and he looked up at Nathan with an almost dazed expression on his face.

"He looks like someone just told him a dirty joke he doesn't get…" Nate said, grinning down at the baby.

"Oh, Sam, he's _beautiful_…"

Maggie had left Ian's side and come over to meet the newest O'Neill.

Sam smiled proudly, even though she hadn't had all that much to do with that. The little guy didn't look at all like her. His _eyes_ were blue, but Janet had already told her they could and probably _would_ change color. He looked like his daddy. And Sam loved that.

"Thanks, Maggie."

"Can I hold him?"

Nate scowled, turning so she couldn't take him.

"_I_ just got him. Wait your turn, woman."

Maggie laughed, and turned her attention back to Sam, gesturing for Jack to push the wheelchair over to the table.

"Come and have some cake. He'll get tired of holding the baby soon enough – at least when the diaper needs changing he will. He never dropped Ian on _his_ head, so Jacob will be safe enough."

Sam and Jack were neither one worried about Nathan holding their son. The big man was surprisingly gentle as he carried the baby over to the group – now that he was certain his wife wasn't going to steal him away – and he walked over to Jacob, who had been watching with a proud smile of his own.

"He's a bit small."

"He gets that from Jack, probably." Jacob said.

"Hey, I _heard_ that."

"How do you feel?" Sam asked Ian, who looked only slightly more alert than he had in the infirmary. Obviously cake and sweetened coffee weren't going to be enough to wake him up.

He smiled, still holding the unwrapped box in his hand.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"I'm fine."

"And the baby?"

"Healthy."

Ian nodded, his dark eyes unreadable – although she wasn't sure if that was because he was tired, or because of what he'd been through.

"What did you get for your birthday?" Jack asked, sitting down in a chair between Daniel and Sam's wheelchair and looking at the presents on the table. There were a lot of packages of t-shirts, and books. Big, thick books that Jack was certain were boring.

"He's _terrible_ to buy for," Maggie said, coming back over and reclaiming her seat, Jake now in _her_ capable arms. "He doesn't collect anything. He's not a clotheshorse, so we can't buy him anything but jeans and t-shirts, really, and he doesn't even have any particular taste in music. When he was little, it was easier, because you couldn't go wrong with GI-Joe or something – and he loved Legos. Now…" She shrugged, helplessly.

Jack smiled.

"_Legos_, huh?"

Ian scowled.

"I was _little_."

"Uh huh."

"Open that present, Son."

Ian looked up and saw that Nate had returned, Jacob with him. Nathan set a cup of coffee in front of his wife, and another one in front of Sam, who gave him an appreciative smile and took a sip. Janet hadn't told her she couldn't have cake or coffee.

He looked at the box in his hand, and ripped it open. And found a gun. Another Glock – identical to the one that he already had. Then he realized with a pang that he didn't have a clue where that one was. He'd had it-

"It's a backup weapon, Son," Nate told him. "And a perfect match for the other one."

Jack nodded, approvingly, reaching out and taking the gun from Ian. It _was_ exactly like the other one – which was sitting in his office. O'Neill checked to make sure it wasn't loaded – it wasn't, of course; Nate was far more intelligent than that – and then hefted it and worked the action.

"It's perfect, Nate," he agreed, nodding again and looking at Ian. "Your backup weapon should always be the same as your primary weapon," Jack said. Several of the Marines in the room nodded as well. This _wasn't_ something they taught, but it was true.

"Since you don't usually go for a backup weapon unless you're in some kind of emergency – or in a spot when you've lost your primary gun – you don't usually have time to readjust to a different weight or caliber of gun." Sam said, nodding as well, and reminding everyone in the room that just because she'd had a baby, it didn't mean she wasn't still one of the best shots there.

"You'll need to take it out on the range and get some rounds through it to work out the newness," Nathan said, taking the gun back from Jack. "I was going to do it for you, but Maggie thought you might want to do it yourself."

"Thanks, Dad. Mom."

Maggie handed Jake over to Sam, who took him and cuddled him – looking for all the world like she was going to hold on to him for a while now that everyone had had a chance to hold him – and kissed her son's cheek.

"You're welcome, baby."

Ian blushed a brilliant shade of red – to everyone's amusement. It wasn't often they saw the cocky young man in such a situation. Birthdays should come more than once a year.


	28. 28

_Author's Note: Nate's not just any worried dad that Jack can just ignore or pass off to Hammond. He's a friend of Jack's from way back and a retired general with a lot of pull. Even Jack can't just brush off someone like that – especially since he knows Nate has a wicked enough temper that he'd just bull his way into the SGC (security or not) those are the kind of people you can't ignore. And really, he knows Sam is safe, Janet's told him the baby is healthy, and he'll have plenty of time alone with little Jake and mom later. The focus has shifted more to Ian the last couple of chapters because I need the reader to understand just how out of it he is. It's not like I've ignored Sam and Jack. If you have a complaint about the story, please leave a_ signed _review so I can contact you by email without needing to waste half a page explaining myself._

_That said; on with the story!_

OOOOOOOOO

It was Janet who broke up the impromptu birthday party. When she entered the commissary she went over to the small group gathered at the table, saw Jacob asleep in Sam's arms once more, and Ian almost ready to fall asleep in his half-eaten birthday cake.

"Time to call it a day, people," she said, causing various complaining groans and noises of disappointment. No one challenged her authority, though. Nate and Maggie had reassured themselves that Ian hadn't spent his birthday alone – as he'd really expected to – and everyone else had had ample opportunity to at least sneak a peek at the newest O'Neill.

Knowing full well that Ian couldn't care less what people thought, Maggie didn't feel at all guilty about embarrassing him yet again when she hugged him, pressing a kiss tenderly against the side of his head – right above the stitches.

"You should call us more often," she murmured to him, softly. "I worry about you."

He hugged her, burying his face between her shoulder and neck for a long moment – thinking that it might be nice to just fall asleep like that. He didn't, though, knowing that would have worried her even more. Instead, he kissed her and pulled away, forcing himself alert.

"Don't worry, I'm doing good."

Nate didn't hug Ian, but he looked like he wanted to, and really that was enough for Ian.

"Are you coming home for summer?"

Ian shrugged.

"I'm not sure… It depends on things here. I'll let you know."

"You do that." Nate turned to Jack, giving him his hand. "Take some vacation time this summer, Jack. We'll take the boys and Sam and go fishing."

Jack nodded, smiling.

"Sounds good, Nate. I'll see what I can do."

Reserved about hugging his own son, Nate had no problem give Sam a careful one, making sure not to jostle the baby, and then Jacob told him and Maggie he'd walk them to the gate. Daniel gathered Ian's presents, telling him he'd put them in Jack's office. The cadet nodded, and was more than ready to go back to bed, when Hammond arrived and announced that since Ian was up, he'd like to do a debriefing as soon as Jacob returned. There was still the small matter of what had happened, after all, and Sam had only been able to give them a sketchy account – which wasn't at all satisfactory to any of them.

Ian sighed, but before he could say anything, Jack and Teal'c were taking him to the briefing room, once more supporting him so he didn't have to put any weight on the injured knee.

OOOOOOOOO

"I know you're tired, Ian, but I really need you to try and concentrate."

Hammond's voice wasn't angry, but it was a little annoyed – although he knew it wasn't fair that he was mad at the boy for looking like he was ready to fall asleep when they'd dragged him out of his bed in the first place.

Ian picked his head up off the table, where it had been cradled in his arms, and looked at Hammond, visibly making an effort – _again_ – to focus on his report.

In the room were Jack, Teal'c, Daniel and Jacob. As well as Hammond and Thor, who had been called – and was the main reason the briefing wasn't taking place in the commissary. All were watching Ian, who sighed.

"The Tok'ra wasn't a Tok'ra." Ian said, looking at Jacob. "He was a Goa'uld named Seterios. He said he took Cato out of his host, using Tok'ra technology, and took over the host so none of you would realize the change."

"Why would he do that?" Jack asked.

"More importantly," Daniel asked. "Why didn't he use that to kill off the Tok'ra from the inside? If Cato had been around that long, then the Tok'ra never would have suspected what was happening, would they?"

Jacob shook his head, looking extremely concerned at the thought of a wolf in sheep's clothing hiding among the Tok'ra for who knew how long.

"We-"

"He wasn't after the Tok'ra," Ian said, interrupting. "He was after Sam."

"Sam?"

"Well… someone to work that ship that he found," Ian amended. "Sam was his best bet, though, and he knew it. Which was why he tricked Jacob into bringing her to him before she became too pregnant to be able to go offworld."

Jacob and Jack both frowned at that – and both knew just how well it had worked, which just made it that much scarier.

"Major O'Neill told me she didn't have a clue how to make the ship function," Hammond said. "According to her, you were the one that-"

"Tell me how you got away," Jack said, at the same time.

"I told the Goa'uld he had to be careful with Sam or he wouldn't be able to get shit out of her." Ian said. "He didn't like it, but he believed me, and he-"

"How did you get the knife?" Daniel asked.

"How did you make the ship work?" Jacob asked.

"How did-"

"Stop."

Hammond knew Ian didn't have a chance of answering all the questions being tossed at him like that. He was recording this, but he wanted it to be in some semblance of order, and that meant they couldn't all be asking questions.

"Did _you_ get the ship working?"

Ian hesitated, and then nodded.

"I think so."

"You think…?"

"It started working when I sat down – after I killed the Goa'uld. But I-"

"Sam said you slashed his throat," Jack said, making it a question.

Ian hesitated again, for a different reason completely, and then nodded.

"I took the knife out of her boot and distracted him."

Jack frowned. A slashed throat seemed like far too easy a death for someone who had done what Cato had done. And tried to do. Of course, there was always the fact that Ian hadn't given the snake inside the host time to escape and maybe even take over Sam or himself, so that had to be taken into consideration, he knew.

"But how did you make the ship work?" Daniel asked, again. Unwilling to be distracted from what he thought was the real question.

"If the ship was, indeed, an Ancient vessel…" all eyes in the room turned to Thor, who had spoken up. "Then it's very possible that the ship itself took over."

"What do you mean?" Hammond asked.

"The Ancients had technology that even we Asgard are unaware of, and many of their ships were designed to function even if the pilot was incapacitated – or in Cadet Brooks' case – unable to fly them. It is not a technology we use, but we know it does exist."

"So the ship flew itself?"

"It is very possible."

There was a long silence in the room, and then Hammond turned to Ian once more.

"So once you escaped the Goa'uld ship – in the ship that was flying itself – what happened?"

"I asked it what I should do next," Ian admitted.

"You _asked_ it?" Jack repeated, in disbelief.

"I was pretty fucking desperate," Ian said, defensively. "I knew Sam was having trouble with the baby, and I didn't have a clue where I was. I'd just killed a guy and we'd just blown a hole in the side of a fu-"

"I get it." Jack interrupted. "And… did the ship answer?"

"It tossed up a heads-up display showing me how to deliver a baby…"

"Really?" Daniel asked.

Ian nodded.

Which explained to them how he knew what to do.

"Sam had the baby on the ship?" Jack asked. That wasn't the way she'd told the story.

Ian shook his head.

"We went through a gate – the ship took us through a gate – and landed in the middle of an abandoned city."

"A city?"

Ian nodded, too tired to stop the next word that came, even though he hadn't intended to say it.

"Atlantis…"


	29. 29

"Where's Ian?"

Janet looked up and saw Cassie standing at the door to her office.

"Where have _you_ been? I called you over an hour ago."

The girl rolled her eyes.

"I had to call and get a ride out here. It's not like the city bus comes this way, you know."

Which, of course, Janet _did_ know. Cassie had her learning permit, but she'd yet to actually pass the driver's test to get her license – after failing it twice. Since she didn't have her license, she was still dependent on others to pick her up and drop her off when she wanted to go places that the busses didn't run. Jack and Ian had both told her they'd take her out driving, but since it was still getting dark fairly early, and Janet didn't want Cassie driving in the dark, they were limited to weekends – which were sometimes filled with other appointments.

"He's in debriefing."

"I missed the party?"

"It wasn't very long."

"His parents left already?"

Janet nodded.

Cassie scowled. She'd hoped to at least have a chance to say hi to them.

"Sam's here, though. With the baby."

The scowl faded immediately, and Cassie smiled, excitedly.

"Can I see her?

"As long as you don't wear her out."

"The baby's okay?"

Janet nodded.

"He's fine."

"Can I see him, too?"

"He's with Sam. They're a package deal right now."

Janet gestured towards the bed halfway down the room with the closed privacy curtain, and waved Cassie out of her office.

OOOOOOOO

"_Excuse me?"_

Daniel was staring at Ian as if a pair of ears had grown out of his forehead. Of course, the others at the table were looking at him the same way.

Ian scowled. Not because of the looks – well… maybe a little because of the looks – but mostly because he hadn't meant to say anything like that. Now he wasn't _ever_ going to get to bed.

"Never mind," Ian said, defensively.

Of course, no one listened to him.

"Atlantis?" Daniel asked.

"Isn't Atlantis underwater?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Daniel answered, almost automatically going into lecture mode. "It was said to have been destroyed by the sea…" he trailed off, still looking at Ian. "On _earth_."

Ian shrugged.

"I could be wrong."

"What makes you think you were in Atlantis?" Hammond asked.

"Did the _ship_ tell you?" Jack asked, his voice carrying a fair amount of sarcasm – although it was probably so natural he didn't even realize he was doing it.

Ian scowled again, and put his head back down on his arms. Fine, let them make fun of him. He couldn't give a shit less. He hadn't intended to tell them that, anyways. Thor, however, spoke up.

"There were rumors of an Ancient city – a fortress – called Atlantis," the little Asgard told them. He was the only one that hadn't been staring at Ian in disbelief. "The Asgard have never been there, and the Ancients guarded the secret of it from even their allies."

"Really? They kept secrets from their _allies_…?" Jack looked at Jacob, who realized immediately Jack wasn't talking about Ancients and Asgards. "How unally-ish…"

Thor gave the equivalent of an Asgard shrug.

"They are only rumors. I doubt the city actually exists, and if it does, it is most likely in ruins by now."

All eyes turned to Ian again.

"Ian?"

He didn't even raise his head.

"Ian."

This time it was Hammond who spoke, and Ian tipped his head just enough to look at the general.

"What makes you think the city you were in was Atlantis?"

"I don't know. Maybe the symbols on the heads-up display looked like the spelling for it or something. Or maybe I was just-"

"They couldn't have been in an underwater city," Jacob said. "They'd have drowned."

"They were _somewhere_." Daniel said. He looked at Ian, but the cadet looked as if he was asleep at the table, and ignoring that for a minute, the archeologist looked at Thor. "What else do you know about this place?"

"Very little." Thor admitted. "As I have said, there were only _rumors_, and most assumed they were made up simply to give the Goa'uld something to look for to leave the Ancients free to deal with other things."

"What other things?"

Again the shrug.

"The Ancients were involved in a war of some kind. Only a short period of time before they moved on from these areas."

"A war?" Daniel asked. "With who? What?"

"More importantly," Jack asked. "Did they _win_?"

"We do not know."

"They _must_ have," Daniel said, looking at Jack. "I mean… they built the _Stargates_. What kind of race could have a chance battling against a people with that kind of technology?"

Jack didn't have an answer – although he did feel a sudden chill at the thought of such a people. He hoped he'd never have the opportunity to find out.

Hammond looked over at Ian, and realized the boy had fallen asleep. He frowned, but didn't bother to wake him up. Obviously the information they were going to get from him just then wasn't all that concise, anyways, if he was talking about going to Atlantis – which everyone knew was an _Earth_ legend, not an Ancient one. They'd talk to him again when he'd had a chance to get some sleep and was able to think more clearly.

"Teal'c, Colonel O'Neill…"

The two turned their attention to him.

"Put Ian to bed. We'll finish this discussion tomorrow."

Jack looked over, saw Ian was asleep again and nodded.

"I will return to my ship, now," Thor told Hammond and the others. He wasn't going to pursue a legend when he had lessons with Shawn Adams and Andrew Stephenson in only a few hours. He turned to Jack, who was watching him.

"Congratulations on the birth of your son, O'Neill."

Jack smiled.

"Thanks, Thor." He hesitated, and then. "Thanks for your help searching for them. Sorry about bullying you like that…"

The Asgard nodded. He hadn't liked it, but he understood it.

There was a set of low growls from under the table, and a flash of light. An instant later, Thor was gone.

"Atlantis, huh?" Daniel said, softly, his voice and manner both speculative. "Wouldn't _that_ be something."

Jack scowled, and stood up.

"I'm not putting _Atlantis_ on Jacob's birth certificate, Daniel."

"But-"

"No buts." Jack turned to Teal'c. "Come on, Teal'c. help me with Ian."

He wanted to get back to Sam.


	30. 30

_Author's Note: There's a reference to nursing in this chapter, just so you know – and there probably will be a few more as the story goes on._

OOOOOOOOOO

Cassie called Sam's name softly through the privacy curtain, unsure if she was awake and not wanting to bother her if she was sleeping. Sam heard her, though and called for her to come on in – although she did it softly as well, since Jacob had fallen asleep in her arms, content to be close to his mother's warm body and listening to her heartbeat.

Cassie moved the curtain aside and came over to the bed, her eyes on the blanket wrapped form in Sam's arms, and Sam smiled a welcome.

"Oh, he's so tiny…"

Sam nodded, and moved the blanket a little so Cassie could see him better.

"Your mom's given him a clean bill of health, though," she said. "Want to hold him?"

Cassie shook her head, putting her hands behind her back. Hold him? Heck no! He was so small she'd probably break him!

"He's sleeping," she said, not wanting to give away her real anxiety. "I can wait until later."

Like when he's five.

Sam smiled; not at all fooled, but willing to let her baby sleep. He had been passed around a lot already that day – although she understood that everyone wanted to see and hold him.

"How do you feel?" Cassie asked, curiously. "Mom didn't tell me what happened, only that you had the baby early. How did it happen?"

Before Sam could even start to answer that, the curtain moved again, and Jaffer's head came peeking in, his brown eyes cheerfully greeting both of them. The black lab checked out the bed, made sure there was room for him, gave Sam a chance to realize he was going to hop up so she could tighten her hold on Jacob, and then hopped up onto the foot of the bed before moving up and whuffling the baby in her arms.

"The briefing must be over," Sam said, watching to see if Jacob was going to be woken up by the soft noises Jaffer was making. The lab wasn't actually touching the baby – although Sam wasn't worried he'd hurt him. Jaws and teeth that had easily killed in the past weren't a danger to Jacob, and she knew it. Jacob didn't even seem to notice; or if he did, then he didn't give any sign of it, because he didn't even make a noise, and he certainly wasn't going to wake up from his nap.

Cassie watched as Jaffer sniffed the baby and then flopped down next to Sam, apparently satisfied that all was well with the world.

"Did Ian really deliver him?"

Sam nodded. But again, before she could start in on the story, the curtain moved again and Jack poked his head in, smiled to see Sam awake, and came in. He walked over to Cassie first, and gave her a hug from behind, and then moved around the bed to sit on the other side of Sam, smiling a soft greeting and looking down at their baby.

"Hi, Jack."

"Hi, Cass. You missed the birthday party."

She made a face.

"I know."

"I think there's some cake left over – if the Marines didn't keep it for themselves."

"I promised-"

The curtain moved aside once more, and Janet came in, wearing a slightly annoyed expression – which Sam and Cassie didn't understand although Jack did.

Janet had just been trying to get Ian to wake up enough to get him changed into something a little more comfortable to sleep in – scrubs – and had found him to be just as stubborn then as he had been earlier with Jack. Eventually, she'd left him with a couple of her corpsmen and had told them to get him changed and into bed and let him sleep off whatever it was that had him so wiped out. Then she'd come looking for Sam.

"Is he sleeping?" She asked, losing the annoyed look fairly quickly when she saw the baby. Babies did that to people, after all.

Sam nodded.

"Do you want to wake him up and see if he'll nurse?"

Cassie made a face. This wasn't really something she wanted to watch, and probably was something best left for Sam and Jack and her mom to do alone.

"I think I'll go see how Ian's doing."

"He's sleeping," Janet said, smiling, because she knew why Cassie was so quick at making her escape – and for once it had nothing to do with the cadet. "They should have him in bed by now."

"I'll go see."

She got up and left, making sure the curtain was closed, but she noticed Jack didn't bolt from the area like she'd almost expected him to. More power to him, she decided, going over and asking one of the other doctors where Ian was.

They'd put him on the end. And had drawn the curtains around him as well. Not so much for privacy, but to keep from having him disturbed by noises around the room. When Cassie walked up to the bed, though, she noticed he looked like he was sleeping so soundly it would take a stampede of water buffalos to wake him up.

OOOOOOOOOO

He had only been in the bed for moments it seemed before he felt a hand touching his shoulder, and he was vaguely aware that the hand was soft and tender. He mumbled something even he couldn't understand, hoping it wasn't Sam coming to wake him up again, because he wasn't sure he'd be able to even open his eyes for her this time. He was so tired.

"Ian?"

It wasn't Sam's voice. Even sleep-fogged, he had no trouble recognizing voices, and Cassie's was definitely one he knew well. Forcing himself to move, he rolled from the position he'd been on (lying on his belly) to a new one (lying on his side) so he could look up at her. Only he couldn't open his eyes.

Cassie smiled when she saw him. He looked so cute when he was sleepy. Of course, she thought he looked cute all the time, so she probably was a little biased, but he looked especially sweet trying to wake up for her like he was. He was wearing white surgical scrubs – bottoms and a top – and she could see the neat row of stitches just above his temple.

"Cass…"

She knew it was supposed to have been _Cassandra_. Ian never called her anything but by her full name. He just obviously was too tired to finish it.

Saving him the trouble of waking up, she just sat down on the bed next to him, her hand coming out and touching his cheek.

"Go to sleep," she murmured to him, leaning over and brushing a kiss against the corner of his mouth. "It's okay…"

He made a noise she couldn't decipher, and his arm came around her, pulling her down onto the bed next to him and cuddling her up against his side in the same way he had Jaffer earlier – although Cassie didn't know it. She smiled and snuggled against him, her hand coming to rest lightly on his side.

Cassie didn't know it, but Ian had had a rough day. Not only hard, but also scary – although he'd managed to hide that fairly well most of the time. Except the baby part, and that hadn't been as bad as being ambushed and beat up and threatened. He hadn't allowed anyone to see it – of course, he'd been so tired no could see past that – but it was there, and he shivered as he pulled her close, stealing comfort from her without telling her why he needed it.

Cassie felt him shiver, though – she was way to close to him to miss it – and she pulled the blanket up over him, tucking it around him before scooting even closer. It didn't seem cold to her, but she was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, and he wasn't.


	31. 31

Once Cassie was certain Ian was soundly asleep – and it didn't take long – she slid out of his arms and simply lay beside him, watching him sleep. _She_ wasn't tired, or she might have napped with him – even though her mom probably wouldn't have approved of coming to look for her and finding her asleep in his arms in her infirmary. As it was, when Janet finally came looking for her, she was simply stretched out beside him, not even touching.

Janet was quiet when she pulled back the curtain, and walked over to the side of the bed that Ian was on. Gesturing for Cassie to move – she wasn't certain how she felt about her being on his bed with him like that in the first place – she ran her hand along Ian's forehead and cheek, checking him for a fever. He was warm, but it was only the warmth associated with sleeping people, and Fraiser was satisfied that there wasn't anything wrong with him. She had all his test results back, and none of them showed anything. He was just tired.

Again she made a silent gesture to Cassie, this time telling her to follow her, and the two of them left Ian to his sleep.

"Is he okay?" Cassie asked as soon as Janet had closed the curtain once more.

"He's fine, honey. All his tests are negative."

"He looks pretty tired."

Janet nodded.

"I won't worry unless he's like that tomorrow, too."

Reassured, since she knew her mom well enough to see that she really wasn't worried, Cassie looked over at the closed curtain that was around Sam's bed.

"Did Jacob wake up and nurse?"

Janet scowled.

"No. He's being as stubborn as Ian. Every time I thought we had him awake and ready, he dozed off."

Cassie smiled.

"It's not dangerous, is it?"

She figured her mom would look more worried than annoyed if it was bad. Sure enough, Janet shook her head, giving Cassie a smile.

"Nah. Sam knows what to do, now. When he's more awake, she'll convince him he's hungry."

"Can I see them?"

Janet nodded.

"Just for a minute, okay? Then we're going to head home."

Which told Cassie that Janet really wasn't worried about either of them, or she never would have left – even though it was getting late. Cassie nodded and went over to Sam's bed, while Janet went to check on her two Tok'ra patients – both of whom were going to recover from the explosion that had leveled them, but they were both still unconscious.

OOOOOOOO

"Hi, Sam…"

Sam smiled when she saw Cassie return.

"Hey, Cass. How's Ian?"

She shrugged, looking down at Jacob, who was asleep again – or still – and snuggled against Sam's breast.

"Sleeping. Mom says he's just tired. Probably. Where's Jack?"

"Off to _kill us some dinner_."

Cassie grinned; knowing that was exactly the way Jack had described it.

"We're going home, I guess..."

Sam nodded.

"Janet told me. And reminded me to call her if I needed anything."

Actually, she'd said it repeatedly, just to make sure Sam knew she meant it. There was a fully capable medical staff on duty that evening, but Janet would have been annoyed (and a little hurt) if Sam had a problem or serious question, and didn't call and ask Janet about it.

"I'll-"

"Are you ready?"

They turned as Janet walked back through the curtain, obviously ready to go. Cassie nodded and gave Sam a quick hug, careful not to jostle Jacob, and then left the curtained area. She could hear her mom giving Sam a series of instructions – probably repeating earlier ones – and a few moments later, Janet came out as well, looking satisfied that Sam was going to do what she told her.

"Let's go."

OOOOOOOO

"Hey…"

Sam looked over at Jack, who was looking down at the baby he'd been holding. A baby who'd been napping most of the night, and giving his mother and father a chance to spend a little quiet time together, staring at him. But as her gaze followed Jack's, she saw that Jacob's eyes were open and he was looking up at his father, his little face just visible in the warm blanket he was wrapped in.

"Look who's awake, mommy…" Jack murmured, smiling proudly at Sam as if it was all his idea that Jacob wake up just then.

Sam smiled, feeling the sting of tears as she watched the two of them. He was so wonderful, and he probably didn't even realize it. He'd taken the baby from her so she could eat, and had nagged her (he didn't call it that, but that's what it had been) until she'd eaten the entire plate of food he'd brought earlier, and then had kept hold of Jake while Sam went off to the bathroom, cleaning up a little and getting ready to settle in for the night. Only then had he eaten his own dinner – although she knew he had to be hungry.

Jacob and Hammond had stopped by. Jacob to tell Sam he'd be back, but he needed to get the information about Cato out to the other Tok'ra, and Hammond to make sure she didn't need anything before he left for the evening. Right on the heels of their leaving, Daniel and Teal'c both stopped by to do the same, and Sam and Jack sent them off to get some rest as well, leaving the four of them alone.

About ten o'clock, Jaffer had jumped down off the bed, and wandered off. Sam gave Jack a look that plainly asked if he was going to go see where the lab was going, but Jack shook his head. He'd taken Jaffer out, so he knew the dog didn't need to pee.

"He's probably going to go sleep with Ian," Jack said, holding the curtain open just enough to watch Jaffer's progress down the aisle of the room – as were several medics. Sure enough, the big black lab stopped at the curtain by Ian's bed, and vanished into it. Jack let their curtain fall and smiled. "His bed's less crowded."

Sam had smiled, and the two of them had resumed their previous position; cuddled close together with Jack holding Jacob in the crook of the arm that was nestled against Sam, sandwiching their son in their warmth, and making sure he would feel both of them touching him whenever he woke up that night.

And now he had.

"Hi, baby…" Sam murmured, softly, too, reaching out and touching her son's cheek with one finger. God, he was so tiny. But so perfect. Jacob turned his head at the touch, almost as if he was responding to her voice and was looking to see what she wanted, but Sam knew it was simply instinct, and smiled again, pulling open her shirt and baring a breast before reaching for him.

"Do we try it again?"

Jack handed him over, watching as Sam held the baby against her, guiding his mouth to her nipple, but Jacob simply nuzzled against her, just about there, and not quite.

"Want me to show him how it's done?" Jack offered, his eyes twinkling in the soft glow of the light behind the bed.

Sam grinned, looking down at the baby, and shifting just a little bit, to give him better access.

"He's just being stubborn," she said, using her finger to keep Jacob's head turned and his attention focused on what he was supposed to be doing. "I wonder who he gets _that_ particular trait from?"

"I wouldn't know," Jack said, innocently. He smiled, then, though, because Jacob suddenly seemed to figure out exactly what his mother had been trying to get him to do. There was a slightly pained expression on Sam's face for just a moment, and then it turned to one of awe as she looked from Jack and then down at the baby. A faint line of milky drool running down his cheek gave tell-tale evidence that Sam's body was more than prepared to sustain her newborn son, and Jack smiled again, and rested his cheek on Sam's shoulder as the two of them watched Jacob nurse.

"He picked it up quick enough," Jack whispered, not wanting to distract the baby. "He's going to be a genius, like his momma. I can tell."


	32. 32

It was quiet in the infirmary, as the place tended to get in the middle of the night, even when it was filled with patients. Since there were only two injured patients, and two _not_ so injured patients, it was even quieter, and it was one of those exceptionally rare moments when all the medical staff was out of the main room for one reason or another. Asleep in her bed, Sam and Jack were nestled together, her firmly enclosed in his strong loving arms and their baby asleep in the basinet that had been set beside the bed for him.

Down the aisle a ways, Ian was still sleeping soundly, his hand resting on Jaffer, who had _his_ head resting on the cadet's thigh and was drooling all over the blankets as he dreamed about the same thing he usually dreamed about; food. Ian's sleep was dreamless, either because he was too tired to dream just then, or because every time his mind started to dwell on the events of the day, the lab next to him would make some noise in his sleep and it would distract the cadet just enough to keep him away from that particular subject.

In an isolation room, with guards posted outside the door – just in case of another Cato-like trick – the two injured Tok'ra were also asleep, quiet as their symbiotes dealt with the injuries they'd sustained, healing them while they slept.

A gentle light suddenly appeared in the room, behind the curtain that closed Sam, Jack and Jacob off from the rest of the world. Neither Sam or Jack saw it; Jack had his face nestled in Sam's hair, and Sam had hers buried in Jack's shoulder, but it woke Jacob, who looked at it with wide eyes that didn't really comprehend what they were seeing, yet. The light hovered over the baby, as if examining him, and then lowered just a little until it was right above his tiny forehead. There was a moment, a very brief moment, when it seemed the light was touching him, caressing him tenderly, and then it was gone. Jacob George O'Neill moved his arm just a little – almost as if reaching for it – and then lowered it.

A moment later he was asleep again, too.

OOOOOOO

Ian was instantly aware of three things when he woke up. He was hungry – _really hungry_. He had to go to the bathroom – _really had to go_. And there was a heavy weight next to him that was soft and silky and was snoring.

He opened his eyes, lifting his head from the pillow to get his bearings, and found that he was in a bed in the infirmary and that Jaffer was sleeping with him, taking up more than his share of the bed and had managed to drool all over him. Bah.

His stomach clenched, making him actually wince in pain. He was beyond hungry. It felt as if he hadn't eaten in days. He looked at his watch and saw that it was just past 5AM. Which meant that if he was going to get something to eat, he was going to have to get it himself, because there weren't all that many people running around the infirmary that time of morning, and none of them were his personal servants.

"Wake up, Chubby," he said, patting Jaffer's shoulder to get his attention.

The lab moved his head and opened an eye, looking at Ian as if to make sure he'd been talking to him.

"Yeah, you. I need up."

Jaffer snorted, but he rolled over and stretched, and then got to his feet and hopped down off the bed. Rubbing his head – and wincing when he hit the stitched area with the heel of his hand – Ian sat up as well, pushed back the blankets and rolled out of bed.

His injured knee immediately gave way and he went down with a muffled curse, only just at the last moment remembering that people – and Sam and Jacob especially – were probably sleeping close by. Jaffer was on him in an instant, whuffling him to see if he was injured, and Ian used the lab and his bed to lever himself to his feet.

The leg as incredibly sore – being whacked several times in the same spot will apparently do that to you – and he wasn't able to put any weight on it.

Well… shit. He _really_ had to go.

Luckily for him, the sound of his body hitting the floor had alerted one of the medics, who pushed back the curtain to see what was going on. After explaining the problem, and proving that he wasn't dying – except that now he really _really_ had to go – Ian found himself sitting on his bed just long enough for the medic to strap on a sturdy knee brace to support his leg, and hand him a pair of crutches.

Ian had just enough manners left to thank the guy, and then with Jaffer beside him, carefully walking far enough away from him that he wouldn't get tangled in the crutches and knock Ian over, he headed for the hall, walking as quietly as he could to avoid disturbing anyone. Jaffer walked as far as the door with him, and then stopped and headed back for the curtained area that was hiding his Jack. He would want breakfast soon enough, but he wanted to check on other things, first.

After a quick stop at the men's room, Ian's pace towards the commissary was a lot less desperate. He was hungry, yes, but he was also smart enough to know that hurrying would undoubtedly result in falling on his ass – or his head – and neither was appealing. Not to mention there weren't a lot of people around to help him get up if he ended up on the floor.

Indeed, the corridors were empty, and he didn't run into anyone the entire way to the commissary, where he found that room empty as well. There was one person behind the counter – a young woman who was loading the cooler with freshly made fruit salads and jello cups. She smiled when he entered the room, noticing immediately the crutches and the brace and coming around the counter to see if there was anything she could do to help him.

"What happened to you?"

Ian shrugged. He had no intention of telling her the full story, and really, she knew better than to ask for details – people in the SGC were always getting weird injuries.

"It's just bruised," he told her, flopping down into a chair and stretching the leg out in front of him.

Misty nodded, and gestured to the cooler she'd just stocked.

"Are you here for breakfast?"

"Do you have anything more filling than fruit and jello?"

"The cooks aren't in yet, but I could get you some cereal and toast…"

Which was better than fruit, as far as Ian was concerned, but it wasn't at all what he'd been hoping for.

"Thanks."

"How many slices of toast do you want?"

As hungry as he was?

"Just keep them coming…"

She gave him an odd look, but he didn't look like he was joking, so she shrugged.

"Okay…"

OOOOOOOOO

"Does Fraiser know you're out of bed?"

Jack had come into the commissary about twenty minutes after Ian – obviously after having been woken up by Jaffer, who was walking with him – and most likely taking him out for a quick run. He'd seen Ian munching on what looked like a mountain of toast, and had walked over to join him.

"I didn't know I was supposed to stay in bed."

Jack smiled, and sat down, stealing a slice of toast.

"Which is what you'll tell her if she comes in and catches you?"

Ian shrugged. It was as good an excuse as any.

"How's Sam?"

Jack smiled, realizing that the cadet was changing the subject. It was exactly what he'd have done.

"She's awake, but not ready to do much of anything."

O'Neill leaned back in his chair, his eyes only on Ian and the toast in his hand forgotten. Right up until Jaffer smoothly snagged it out of his hand when it dipped under the level of the table, making it fair game.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

He looked more awake, at least. And that was a plus.

"Good. I'd like to talk to you about what happened…"

OOOOOOOOOO

_Author's Note: Before anyone asks, it wasn't Dotty…._


	33. 33

Ian scowled. He'd been half asleep, maybe more so, but he remembered how Jack had reacted to his debriefing the night before.

"Why?" He asked. "You don't believe me anyway."

Jack frowned, stroking Jaffer's head when the lab put his head in his lap.

"It's not that I don't _believe_ you, Ian," he said. "It's just… I think you're mistaken about the whole Ancient city thing. But _that's_ not the part I want to hear about. I want to hear more about this Goa'uld – Steroids."

"_Seterios_."

"Yeah."

Ian shrugged, and launched into the story, telling Jack everything that had happened from the time he'd been kicked awake and not sparing any of the details. He was pretty sure he hadn't done things at all like Jack would have – Jack probably could have figured out a way to get him and Sam out of the hands of the Goa'uld using some diplomatic gobbledygook – but Ian hadn't had time to think of anything to say, and diplomacy had never been a strong suit of his, in any case. He told of being kicked awake, of the treatment the First Prime had given him – including his _own_ words and actions, which had prompted the treatment – and did his best to explain what he was thinking when he'd been lying to Seterios about Sam.

For twenty minutes he spoke, almost completely uninterrupted, his memory giving him the ability to tell it step by step without stumbling over details, although occasionally Jack would ask him a question about something he said, his expression unreadable. Only when he reached the part of the story where he'd stolen Sam's boot knife and used it to slash the throat of the Goa'uld did he hesitate, and Jack knew that wasn't because he couldn't remember what had happened.

"What happened then?" He asked, more to keep Ian from thinking about that part too long.

"The ship blew a hole in the side of the Goa'uld ship and we escaped through the hole, went to the nearest planet with a Stargate, and ended up in the city that doesn't exist."

"And by then Sam was fully in labor?" Jack asked, ignoring the sarcasm.

Ian nodded.

"She was in a lot of pain, Jack, and I'm not sure what I could have done differently than I did. The ship put a map of where we were up on this 3-D display, and I used that to get her to this room that looked like an infirmary, and by then she was already having the baby…"

Aside from the map part, it was pretty close to Sam's own account of things – although Jack suspected Ian's telling was the more accurate, since Sam had obviously been having trouble concentrating on things that had been going on around her by then. She'd told Jack that Ian had looked terrified, but had done everything he could to keep her from panicking – although it hadn't worked – and he'd kept promising her things would be okay, even though he hadn't looked like he had a clue what to do next.

"How did you guys get home?"

Ian frowned, because he honestly didn't have a clue.

"I don't know…" He hesitated, blushing. "I think I passed out. One minute I'm covering her up with a blanket, the next minute you're trying to wake me up."

Jack frowned, although this time it had nothing to do with Ian.

"Sam doesn't remember what happened, either."

"She was conscious when I passed out…" Ian said. "At least I think she was."

"She remembers you passing out," Jack confirmed. "She just can't remember anything after that."

They both fell silent, then. Ian because he didn't know what to say about that – he wasn't used to not remembering things, after all – and Jack because he wasn't sure exactly how to say what he wanted to say, next.

It was Jack, though, who spoke next.

"I don't know how to thank you for what you did…"

It wasn't exactly what Ian had expected to hear. He'd almost expected Jack to tell him off for putting Sam in danger by singling her out to the Goa'uld, or for trying to deliver the baby on his own instead of having her hold on until they could get to help. His surprise was evident in his expression, and Jack shook his head.

"You put Sam before yourself. You forced the Goa'uld into believing that if they did anything to hurt her, he wasn't going to get his ship working, which protected her far more than anything else you could have said would have. And instead of losing your head, you did what had to be done when it was obvious – even to Sam – that you wanted to be anywhere but where you were. Most of all, you tried to keep her calm, and from what she tells me, you did a pretty good job of it – considering how bad things were and could have been. It _could_ have been a disaster, Ian…" and Jack's expression was bleak at the very thought of how many different ways things could have gone wrong. "Instead, when you came home, you were both alive and well and so was the baby."

"I don't even remember _coming_ home," Ian said.

"It doesn't matter. Not to me, anyways. And not to Sam. We're grateful for what you've done, and we're going to think of some way to show you that."

Ian blushed, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"You don't have-"

"Yeah," Jack interrupted. "We do. Don't argue with me, okay?"

Ian looked like he was going to say something else, but Jack's expression was pretty much set, and he knew no matter what he said; O'Neill wouldn't listen to him, anyways. Finally, he shrugged.

"If I'm ever in labor in an underwater city, you can deliver the baby and we'll call it even."

Jack snorted, a wry smile on his face.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Ian nodded, and fell silent, and Jack took another slice of toast from the stack, eating it slowly as he watched several different emotions come and go across Ian's face. Telling Jack about what had happened reminded Ian what had happened, and several of those things weren't pleasant. And weren't things he wanted to remember. Jack understood that, though, and didn't even need to ask why the young man was suddenly so quiet. He knew Ian wasn't trying to think of a good joke to tell.

"You want to talk about it?" He asked, softly.

Surprised, Ian looked up at Jack. He hadn't been aware he'd been that transparent.

"I-"

"What are you doing out of bed?"

They both looked up, and saw Janet walking over to them, frowning.

Ian flushed, and looked guilty, despite his earlier claim that no one had told him he was supposed to stay in bed.

"Shit."

Luckily, only Jack heard that.


	34. 34

"You didn't tell me I was supposed to stay in bed…" Ian said. Again.

"I didn't tell you that you could get up, either." Janet replied, shifting his arm on her shoulder just a little.

They were making their way slowly down the hall, Ian hobbling between Janet and Jack, and arm draped over each of them and his crutches in Jack's free hand. Janet hadn't listened to any excuses when she'd gathered her charge to take him back to the infirmary, saying that the leg he was walking around on was going to need some tests on it before he would be allowed to go wandering at random.

Jack had smiled, pleased that he wasn't the one caught in the wrong, and that had been a mistake, too, because Janet turned on him, next.

"And what are _you_ doing here, Colonel?"

"What?"

"When I came into my infirmary – fully intending to check on _all_ my patients – Sam told me that you'd gone to take Jaffer out for a quick run and would be right back. I expected you to be right back, then, since there are several things we need to discuss about your son, and it's hard to have those conversations without you there."

Jack's expression turned almost as guilty as Ian's.

"I was going to bring Sam some breakfast…"

"I don't see any."

"I got distracted…"

"So I see. Help me get Ian back to the infirmary. I don't want any weight on that leg until-"

"It's not that bad, Dr. Fraiser," Ian had interrupted. Which, of course, had been the wrong thing to say.

She gave him a cool look, putting a layer of frost on every dish in the commissary.

"Yeah? Let me see you walk across the room."

Ian reached for the crutches.

"Without those."

Scowling, Ian heaved himself to his feet, because she'd pretty much thrown down a gauntlet that he wasn't going to ignore. He'd get across the room if he fell on his face a hundred times doing it.

Janet didn't even let him try.

"Don't bother, Ian. You and I both know what'll happen, and I don't want you to injure yourself further."

She'd made her point, and they all knew it.

"Colonel?"

Shaking his head and wondering how she managed to make him feel like a guilty child every time she caught him doing something wrong, Jack had moved over to Ian's right, taking his arm and putting it over his shoulder as he reached for the crutches.

"Come on, Ian… I need to get back to Sam."

OOOOOOOO

Before they even reached the infirmary, they knew Jacob was awake – even though he'd been sleeping still when Jack had left Sam. For a preemie who was supposed to have underdeveloped lungs, Jacob had a very fine pair, and he was screaming, his wails coming down the hall easily.

The four of them picked up the pace, which actually made Ian pale with pain when he jarred his knee against Fraiser's leg, but he didn't complain. Fucking Jaffa. Okay, maybe he complained a little – in his head, at least.

They entered the room, and Jack handed Ian off to the medic – the same one who'd allowed Ian up in the first place – and headed for Sam, who was on her feet with the screaming baby in her arms, walking him and crooning to him and not looking all that worried about the fact that he was turning bright red. Of course, she had a room filled with doctors who had already assured her when he started screaming that he wasn't in any danger.

Sam smiled when Jack walked up, looking over his shoulder at Ian, who was being hustled off to the end of the room once more.

"Want me to take him?" Jack asked.

She shook her head.

"I'm okay. Janet found you, I see…"

Jack nodded.

"She's not happy with us, and made sure we knew it. I'm sorry I didn't come right back… I-"

"Stopped off at the commissary," Sam finished, smiling again. "I knew you would."

She knew him better than anyone; of course she knew he was going to stop at the commissary. Especially with Jaffer with him.

Jack nodded, looking at the baby, who was still screaming.

"Is he hungry?"

She shook her head.

"He nursed when he woke up."

"Messy diaper?"

"Already checked."

"Did you pinch him?"

She smiled, and handed him over to his father, who took him in careful arms. The baby didn't even stutter, and the screaming continued.

"I figured I'd save that for later… when I want to wake _you_ up. I don't suppose you brought coffee?"

He shook his head.

"Genghis Khan insisted we come back immediately, before Ian's leg falls off."

Sam giggled, and looked over at the end of the room once more. Ian was sitting on his bed, the privacy curtain open and a thunderous scowl on his face – even from where she was standing she could see it – and Janet was walking back up the aisle towards her and Jack.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked when Janet reached them.

"He's fine, Sam. I just don't want him on that leg too much until I have a chance to run more tests on it."

It was obvious from her tone that she wasn't anywhere near as annoyed with Ian as she'd pretended to be.

"It's not broken, though, right?"

She shook her head, and held her hands out to Jack, plainly asking for Jacob. Now Jack's scowl was as big as Ian's. Why did she always want to hold him right after he got his hands on him?

"It's not broken, but I don't know what happened to it, yet, so I'm not sure if there's ligament damage or something wrong with-"

"The First Prime hit him with his staff weapon," Jack said, handing Jacob over when it was obvious Janet wasn't going to lower her arms – no matter how much he scowled. "A few times."

Janet nodded, looking relieved.

"Which means there's probably no tears or sprains. Just bruising and swelling. We'll do an MRI on it in a day or so if it doesn't show improvement, though. And will ice it for a while to keep the swelling at bay."

"So he's stuck in here?" Jack asked. He knew Ian wouldn't like that.

"It's not the state penitentiary, Colonel," Janet said. "And he'll have plenty of company, because Sam's not leaving for another couple of days, either. And neither is Jacob here – are you, sweet baby?"

Jacob didn't feel like a sweet baby, though. He felt like a baby who wanted to be back where he had been and already decided he didn't like this cold new place with its loud noises and bright lights. Grumpy about changes that no one had asked him about, he screamed again.

Jack looked at Sam, his hand coming up to rest lightly on his son's tiny head.

"I'd better go home and get some things, then…"

There was no way he'd stay away while Sam and the baby were here, after all.

Janet nodded.

"I'm going to have a specialist come by and have a look at Jacob today, you two. I want him checked out, because I really can't believe just how healthy he is…"

Jack shrugged, striking a slight pose.

"Look at me, doc. How can he be anything but a fine specimen of baby, when he has me for a dad?"

Janet snorted, and turned to Sam.

"Like I said… I can't believe he's not forty pounds overweight and gray already."

"Hey! I _heard_ that."

Sam smiled, and reached for her son, again.


	35. 35

He ended up flopped on his back, on his bed with his leg (still in the brace) stuck out awkwardly and his pillow over his head. Not because he wanted to block out the sound of the crying baby – that didn't bother him at all, really – but because he was sulking, and he did his best pouting with his head under a pillow.

Which was why he didn't see Sam approach, and didn't hear the baby screams getting louder as they drew closer. He didn't realize she was near by until he actually felt the bed move under her weight as she sat down beside him. Surprised, he pulled the pillow off his head, wondering if Fraiser had returned to chew him out again. And he smiled when he saw it was Sam instead, holding Jacob close to her, cuddling him as he cried.

She smiled down at him, her free hand coming out to touch his cheek – something she loved doing.

"You okay?"

Ian nodded, sitting up and moving a little to give her more room. He glanced at the end of the room where Jack had been talking to Janet and was now heading their direction.

"Everything okay?" He asked, more worried about her and the baby than he was about himself. Of course, _he_ hadn't just had a baby, either. He looked at Jacob, who was still bright red, but the baby looked a lot better than he had the day before – even screaming.

"He's just grumpy," Sam said, smiling warmly at the baby.

"He's not the _only_ one." Ian said, looking down the room at Janet once more.

Sam grinned.

"You should know better than to go wandering off like that by now. You know how Janet is with her patients."

"She wasn't here."

Meaning he'd figured he could get breakfast and get back before anyone had even noticed he was gone.

Jack joined them, then, and sat down on Ian's bed as well, careful to avoid the leg. Jaffer looked up onto the bed, realized that there wasn't a lot of room – and probably not enough for him, and flopped down on the floor with a discontented sigh. Damn.

"Janet says she'll call the specialist and see if he can come down this morning." Jack told Sam, reaching out and offering his finger to Jacob, who knew immediately it wasn't a nipple or anything else he was interested in just then. Jacob was smarter as a baby than Jaffer had been, apparently.

"Specialist?" Ian repeated. "I thought he was okay?"

Sam nodded.

"He's far more developed than most preemies are," Sam said, with just a touch of pride. "But Janet wants him checked over by someone who knows more about that kind of thing than she does."

"Oh."

Sam smiled, looking at Ian, and then down at the baby, well aware that he'd been the one to get her through what had probably been the most terrifying moments of her life – not because she'd been afraid for herself, but because she'd been afraid of losing the baby. Her eyes misted over as she thought about just what might have been, and Ian and Jack both caught the change in expression immediately.

"Sam?" Jack reached out, touching her cheek; just as the first tear rolled down it, captured by his hand.

"I'm sorry…"

She sniffed, trying to get her emotions back under control, and Jack took Jacob from her, handing the screaming baby over to Ian so he could gather his wife in his arms and hold her tightly.

"Hey… it's okay…"

She shook her head, trying to tell him through the lump in her throat and the tears that were now coming full force that she knew everything was okay, but she couldn't. She couldn't say anything. All she could do was cry. And Jack realized it, and held her, cradling her as gently as he'd cradled their son, and burying his face against her neck, murmuring assurances to her while she clung to him.

As the first spat of tears past, Sam realized that she couldn't hear Jacob screaming, anymore. This drew her out of her crying jag, and she turned her head,her gaze going to Ian, who was holding the infant at arm's length, looking at him with an unreadable expression in his dark eyes.

Jacob was looking back at him, too, it seemed. The moment Jack had handed him to Ian, the infant had felt a shock of recognition that he – of course – didn't understand, but he'd reacted to. And his tears had stopped immediately at the sensation, his eyes wide. It was a reaction to the energies that Ian had loaned the baby when he'd delivered him, finishing what should have taken a couple more months to complete. Ian's sleep had replenished him, but the bond was still there, and while both of them felt it, it was more of a shock to the baby, who didn't have bruises everywhere else to distract him from the sensation.

Jack didn't notice the looks when he glanced over, but he did scowl at the way Ian was holding his son.

"He's a baby, Ian, not a boa constrictor. Cuddle him."

Ian turned, the moment between him and Jake passing – although the infant didn't resume his crying – and he brought him up against his chest, holding him awkwardly. Luckily, Jacob was small enough that Ian could support him fully without needing to use any special technique. The cadet looked down at the baby, who was looking up at him, and then over at Sam, his expression turning concerned.

"Are you okay?"

She sniffed again, wiping her eyes with her shoulder, and nodded, feeling stupid for crying when there was no reason to.

"I guess we know who to bring him to when he's crying…"

Jack smiled, knowing what she was trying to do and willing to let the moment pass. He knew from experience that Sam would probably be doing a lot of crying the next little while – Sara had when she'd delivered Charlie – so he'd simply do what he'd done for her when she was pregnant and dealing with the racing and raging and changing hormones; he'd love her and hold her when she needed him to. He didn't let her go, but he did shift his grip on her so she could release him if she needed to.

Ian didn't scowl like Jack knew he wanted to. Unlike Jack, Ian wasn't aware that post-partum depression was natural. All he knew was that Sam had been in tears and was still looking weepy. His expression was troubled as he watched her, wondering if there was anything he could do to make things better, and not realizing that he already had.

"He was probably just tired of being grumpy."

Sam smiled, reaching out and wiping the tears from Jacob's little cheeks.

"Are you sure you don't want to apply for the position of nanny?" She asked him, knowing the answer already.

Ian snorted, and shook his head, his dark eyes amused, now, as Sam had hoped they would be.

"I don't think I have the temperament for it."

He was _sure_ he didn't, for that matter. And he _knew_ he didn't have the experience.

"How about Godfather?" Jack asked, softly, his own eyes completely serious.


	36. 36

Surprised, Ian looked from Jack over to Sam, wondering if he'd been joking. Sam wasn't smiling, though. At least, it wasn't the smile of someone who was in on a big joke.

"Godfather?" Ian repeated.

Jack nodded, his arm still around Sam.

"We talked it over last night, and couldn't think of a better choice than you."

Ian looked down at the baby, who was still staring at him as if the two of them had some secret that only they knew.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"If you say no, then the rule is you have to put him back where you found him," Jack said, shrugging.

Sam chuckled, and put her hand on Ian's leg, her eyes smiling.

"We were actually thinking about it before yesterday, Ian. Jack and I both think highly of you, you know. Please?"

Like he could ever say no to her?

Jack watched the young man look down at Jacob again, and saw in his expression that the idea was growing on him the more he thought about it.

"You can even talk like Marlon Brando to him, if you want…"

Ian looked up, curious.

"What?"

"You know… like in the movie…"

"I never saw the movie."

"You _never_ saw The Godfather?" Jack asked, incredulous. Come to think of it, he'd never seen any of the Star Wars movies until Jack had brought them over and made him watch them with him and the others. "What did you _do_ growing up? Watch PBS?"

"Hey, at least I didn't hang out with my dinosaur and draw pictures on cave walls all day long…"

Sam laughed, knowing that only the fact that Ian was hurt, holding the baby and in Janet's infirmary was keeping Jack from retaliating for that particular comment.

"So is that a yes?" She asked before the two of them could get started.

Ian hesitated for just a moment longer, but then he nodded.

"I'd be honored."

"That means you have to pay for his wedding when he gets married," Jack said.

"What?"

"It's in the movie… the whole set of rules are in the movie. Too bad you haven't seen it, so you don't know. There's something in there about bringing breakfast in bed to the parents of the kid you're the Godfather to, too, but-"

"Don't listen to him, Ian," Sam said.

"I never do, Sam."

"_Hey_…"

Sam smiled again, and leaned over and kissed Ian's cheek, serious again, although her eyes were still filled with laughter because Jack was sputtering indignantly beside her.

"Thank you, Ian. For what you did, and for being who you are."

That had to be the very first time anyone had ever thanked him for being him. But Ian blushed a brilliant shade of red at the kiss, and Sam's smile grew. She couldn't wait to see if she could embarrass Shawn that easily – and Jacob, too, for that matter, when he was old enough.

Looking down at Jacob, because he knew he'd just get redder if he looked at Sam – how did she do that to him? – Ian mumbled something neither Sam nor Jack could understand. But both of them knew it didn't really matter. Jack reached over Sam and rested his hand lightly on Ian's head for a moment, then tousled his hair lightly to hide the gesture. Predictably, Ian ducked that and with the more serious mood eased a little; he managed to look at them both again.

"How's the leg?" Sam asked, changing the subject to make it even easier for him.

He shrugged, looking down at it.

"I can wiggle my toes, so it's hardly going to fall off any time soon."

"We-"

"Hey, guys."

Janet had come to join them, holding three medical charts in her hand. For once, not one of them had the name Jack O'Neill on it.

Sam smiled at Janet, but Ian's expression was much more guarded – as if he was waiting to assess her mood before answering. She was past being annoyed with him, though, as her next words plainly showed.

"Ian, I want to take you for another series of x-rays on that knee, if you're up for it?"

Had she still been miffed, it would have been an order, not a request, and they all knew it. He nodded, and handed Jacob back to Sam. The infant had started to doze off in his arms, but woke with a start when he was moved, and his tiny face screwed up into a scowl as he debated whether or not to start crying again. Heading him off, Sam cuddled him close, crooning softly to him and brushing her hand gently along his face and head. The scowl faded at the touch and he yawned, instead, and then closed his eyes, his cheek resting against her breast and his ear against her heart.

Sam smiled, and when she looked up from him, she saw she wasn't the only one.

"Nice catch," Jack said, giving her a look that turned her insides to goo and made her almost want to cry again.

Janet smiled, too, and actually had an urge to rush over to Emmett's and tell him she wanted a baby, too. Smiling at that thought – although, hey, she wasn't too old to be thinking like that – she turned to Ian.

"Ready?"

"Can I have breakfast?"

"When we're done."

"As much as I want – and no sick person food?"

"We'll see."

He scowled, wondering if that was the 'maybe' we'll see, or the 'not a chance' we'll see. It didn't really matter, though, since he pretty much knew he was subject to her own whims here in her infirmary. Even worse; _she_ knew it, too.

"Fine."

"We'll come chat with you later, Ian," Jack said, moving off the bed so Sam could as well, and clearing the way for a medic with a wheelchair to come over to get Ian.

Ian nodded, wincing when he jarred the injured leg on the footrest of the wheelchair as the medic helped him over to it.

"Bring some of your cave drawings, Jack. I have a feeling I'm going to be here a while."


	37. 37

Janet didn't take Ian to get his x-rays – that was what technicians were for, after all. Instead, while she waited for them to get back she made a couple more phone calls – including to the specialist on preemies – and then went to Sam's bed to discuss Jacob with his parents.

By the time Ian was wheeled back in, they'd already set up a time to have Jacob circumcised – _not_ something the baby would appreciate – and had set up the meeting with the preemie specialist who would be able to tell Sam and Jack more about what they should expect by way of weight gain in the next couple of months, and development for the baby.

Jack told Sam he was going to head for the house to get her things while he had the chance, and Sam nodded, telling him to take Jaffer, who could use some fresh air. With a gentle caress, he kissed her softly, touched Jacob's cheek lightly, and headed out with Jaffer beside him, and Sam – still holding Jacob – walked over with Janet when she went to check Ian's x-rays.

The cadet was back on his bed. He was still dressed in scrubs and once more had a scowl on his face, which made Sam smile, because she knew he hated being inactive – and he seemed to be inactive a lot lately. The scowl did fade when she approached, and he scooted to the side, giving her a silent invitation to share the bed he was sitting on. An invitation she took him up on.

"How was the ride?"

He rolled his eyes, but now there was more good humor in his expression than annoyance.

"Got pulled over for speeding…"

"Did you get a ticket?"

"Nah, I talked him out of it. My great personality and all…"

Janet snorted, her eyes on the x-rays she had held up to the light, but her attention obviously on Sam and Ian as well.

Sam looked over at Janet.

"Well?"

"There's no fracture."

"That's good, right?" Ian asked.

Janet nodded, her eyes still on the x-rays, switching from one to another.

"I didn't think there was a break, but it never hurts to make sure. I don't see anything more serious than a little bruising."

Sam looked down at the leg, which had been bared so Janet could examine it when she was done looking at the films. Well-muscled and lean, it was still really swollen and the knee area looked like one big bruise – although it was really a series of several.

"A _little_?"

Janet smiled, looking down at the knee.

"Well, relatively. It could be a lot worse – but the bone is in good shape and there doesn't appear to be anything that will hamper a quick recovery. Let's see what you have for a range of motion, shall we?"

That didn't sound like something pleasant, Ian decided. And a moment later, he knew it wasn't. Janet sat on a stool in front of him, supporting his foot, and then forced him to bend the injured leg as much as he could – until he actually had to bite down on his lower lip to keep from swearing – and then had had him move his foot in every direction, testing the ligaments in the knee to see if there was any damage. By the time she was done, he was sweating and trembling and Sam had taken his hand in sympathy – although Ian refused to squeeze it, because he didn't want to hurt her.

"Good."

Ian looked down at Janet incredulously, watching as she stood up and gave him a satisfied look.

"_Good_?"

Jesus, it felt like the fucking thing was going to fall off now. For that matter, it hurt a lot more _now_ than it had when he'd woken up!

She smiled, sympathetically, and resisted the urge to reach out and touch his cheek. It wasn't like she enjoyed hurting him like that, but it had been necessary. Instead, she took up a wet towel and wiped his sweaty face.

"I know it hurt, Ian, but you have full range of motion – which means once the bruises fade and the swelling goes down, you're going to be fine. It's just sore."

He took a deep breath – a _ragged_ deep breath – and flopped back on his bed, careful not to jar Sam and the baby.

"It's sore, all right…"

"Is he going to be okay, then?" Sam asked.

She nodded.

"We'll keep him off it the rest of the day, but by tomorrow he should feel a lot better."

Ian made a noise that plainly told both women he didn't think he was going to be feeling a lot better until his next birthday, but Sam just smiled, relieved that he hadn't taken any lasting hurt defending her like he had.

"How about breakfast?" Janet asked, knowing it was a sure fired way of getting his mind off how much he ached. He was young and healthy, after all – he'd forget how much he hurt soon enough.

Predictably, Ian looked up, his expression changed completely – although she could see a little wariness there, and Janet knew he was thinking she might be tricking him into oatmeal or something equally healthy, while Ian was hoping for something far more filling.

"Breakfast?"

Janet smiled. Young people were so much fun. Even moody ones like Ian. Or maybe _especially_ ones like Ian…

"There's nothing wrong with your stomach – just your leg. I don't see any reason you can't have something more solid than toast."

_Yes_.

Now Ian's expression was hopeful, and Sam smiled – although she was hungry, too.

"Eggs and bacon and ham and-"

"I didn't say you could clear out the commissary," Janet said, her voice stern but her expression amused. "Choose something, and I'll have one of the orderlies go get it for you." She looked at Sam. "You, too."

Sam didn't argue. As much as she didn't like having people fetching for her, she was hungry and had no desire to take Jacob back to the commissary just then so she could get a bite to eat. He was asleep, and she didn't want to wake him up until he was ready to wake up. Grumpy baby wasn't nearly as cute as Sleeping baby – although she didn't love him any less when he was screaming.

"Can I stay here?" She asked; meaning could she keep Ian company. Jack was gone, and neither of them had anyone to chat with – besides, Sam didn't want to leave him alone when he was hurting, and she did love his company.

Janet nodded.

"I'll have an extra table brought over." Referring to the rolling tables that fitted perfectly over the beds. "Do you want me to put Jacob in his bassinet?"

Sam shook her head, looking down at Sleeping baby.

"If I can't hold him and eat, I'll pass him over to Ian when he's done."

She was pretty sure, though, that she'd get plenty of times coming up that she'd need to be able to hold Jake while doing things, and she might as well get good at it as soon as possible.


	38. 38

"What? Did you trade Jack in on a younger model?"

Ian and Sam both looked over as Daniel approached the bed they were sharing, carrying a large, brightly wrapped package and smiling at having caught the two of them in bed together.

Of course, they were also fully clothed, obviously just finishing their breakfast, and Sam had Jacob tucked into the crook of her left arm and Ian had his leg in a brace, so it was obvious nothing was going on. But it was still fun to tease, right?

"Younger _and_ better looking," Ian corrected.

Sam smiled.

"He's at the house getting some things. What's with the box?"

Daniel cleared Ian's table, setting his empty plate on the one that was in front of Sam and moving the fork and napkins as well before setting the box down on the table in front of the cadet.

"This is Ian's birthday present from me, Teal'c and Sally – and Binky."

Ian looked at the box, and then up at Daniel.

"You didn't have to get-"

"We did," Daniel interrupted. "Although had you actually informed us that it was your birthday, it would have been on time – of course, then we wouldn't have known what to get you, and now we do."

"Oh?"

Now his curiosity was piqued and Ian looked back at the box.

"Open it," Daniel said, gesturing to it. "Teal'c and I picked it out. Binky wasn't much help."

Ian smiled, and started unwrapping the box, careful not to make too much of a mess since he was pretty sure Janet wouldn't appreciate cleaning up wrapping paper. Sam saw what it was first, and chuckled, and Ian turned the opened part towards himself, and shook his head, smiling as well.

The present was a large – incredibly large – bucket. Filled with legos.

"Since you're going to be off your feet for at least a couple more days," Daniel said, smiling, "We figured you'd at least like something to keep yourself occupied – and all the crossword puzzle books were sold out."

He probably would have been annoyed; it was a kid's present, after all, and Ian was touchy about his youth sometimes – especially when people made the mistake of calling him boy – but he wasn't. He was amused, and could actually feel a little bit of excitement at the thought of having so many legos at his command. Grinning, he realized that he'd just regressed ten years in as many minutes, and tried to control his eagerness.

"Thanks, Daniel. It's great."

Daniel walked around to Sam's side of the bed and sat down when she moved her leg out of the way.

"You're welcome. And now that we know when it is, next year, we'll have a party." He looked at the baby in Sam's arms Jacob had been shifted just a little when Sam moved for Daniel, and had been close to waking up anyways, and was now beginning to make noises as he realized that the whole being born thing hadn't been some bad dream and he really was out in the world, for better or worse. "For _two_."

Sam hadn't thought of that. She smiled, too, and followed Daniel's gaze down to Jacob.

"You _do_ have the same birthday, don't you?"

"It wasn't _my_ idea."

It hadn't been hers, either, but she thought it was rather appropriate, and started to say something to that affect, when Jacob opened his eyes, his little serene face suddenly tensing up as he debated which was more annoying; the fact that his diaper was wet, or the fact that he was hungry. In the long run, it didn't matter, really. He started to cry.

Sam cuddled him, moving carefully off the bed and smiling at Daniel and Ian.

"I'd better go see if he needs changing, or fed."

Since neither of them wanted to offer to help feed him – although both would have changed him if they'd been pressed into service – Ian and Daniel both nodded, and Ian reached over and moved the table out of her way, pushing it so it rolled against the wall.

"We'll be here if you need anything."

Sam nodded, too, and walked down the aisle, crooning to Jacob, who wasn't screaming like he'd been that morning, but was wailing enough to make sure the world – and his mother in particular – knew that he wanted to eat. Janet heard the crying and came to investigate, giving Sam all the help she needed, and letting Daniel and Ian both feel better about abandoning her to Jacob.

The archeologist turned to Ian, who finished unwrapping the lego bucket and set it on the floor beside him – within easy reach.

"How's the leg?"

"It's sore, but Doctor Fraiser says nothing's broken. If I can get her to leave it alone, it'll probably be okay in a couple of days."

Daniel nodded.

"Let me guess; she tested your range of motion?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Yeah," Daniel's look was definitely sympathetic, "that always hurts."

Before Ian could say anything, though, Daniel was already changing the subject.

"Listen, I know it's early and you're probably not feeling all that great, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to tell me more about this city you went to. Atlantis."

Ian shrugged.

"I feel okay." He did, too. "What would you like to know?"

"What do you remember about it?"

"Not a lot," Ian admitted. "I mean, I remember everything that I saw, but I didn't really see all that much – and I honestly wasn't looking for anything out of the ordinary. Just a place to take Sam where she might be a little better off."

"You said the ship gave you a map to the room you took Sam to," Daniel said, proving that he'd been paying attention the evening before. "Was it labeled?"

"The ship?"

"The map," Daniel corrected. "Did it say where it was sending you?"

Ian shook his head.

"It just showed a map with a blinking light that I assumed was where we were, and a lit up path along some hallway that I decided was the direction I was supposed to go."

"And you think it was the ship doing it?"

"I don't know what else it could have been, Daniel," Ian said, shrugging. "I hadn't left the ship, so I certainly couldn't have imagined a proper map – even if I _was_ seeing things."

Yeah, that was true. Daniel scowled, because he'd been thinking that maybe the artificial intelligence on the ship had simply taken something in Ian's mind and made a map from that. But Ian had shot that theory down immediately.

"What about the city? Was it wet? Was there any sign of water?"

Ian shook his head.

"It was dry. There wasn't even any water in the sink in the room with all the beds."

"There was an infirmary?"

Ian shrugged.

"It might have been a hotel room… all I know is there were beds, and a cupboard full of blankets."

"And a broken sink."

"Yeah."

"Why do you think it was Atlantis, then?"

Ian scowled. The name had just popped into his head the moment he'd started thinking about it. He knew it hadn't been because of anything on the ship or in the room that Sam had delivered Jacob in. It'd been because of the download, and he was certain that he'd been right; the city that Jacob had been born in was Atlantis. And he knew he couldn't tell Daniel – or anyone else – about the download. That wasn't why he'd been given the knowledge of the Ancients. Not so they could quiz him constantly about them, or learn their technology – at least not yet – it was so he could help Jack do whatever it was he was supposed to be doing. So far, that had simply meant delivering his son and healing him to keep Jack from losing something so precious to him – which was probably not something that ole Alexander and Sander had expected to come up.

Or maybe they did. What did he know? That thought made his head hurt.

Daniel took his scowl and his silence as annoyance, and frowned.

"Look, Ian. I know you went somewhere. I just want to know if it really was a city of the Ancients'. Even if it's not Atlantis – and it probably _isn't_ – at least it'd still be an Ancients' city, with Ancients' technology and knowledge – and who knows what else we could learn about them if we found one of their cities…"

"You couldn't go there, Daniel," Ian said, shrugging. Might as well stop this train of thought now, even though it meant bursting Daniel's bubble of enthusiasm.

"Why not?"

"Because the gate address had eight symbols…"

Daniel stared at him.

"You saw the address?"


	39. 39

_Author's Note: This isn't really going to be a crossover with Atlantis the show (meaning I'm not bringing in Weir and the others – although I suppose Rodney could make an appearance some day because of who he is and what his specialty is. But he won't be in this story, even if I do eventually bring him into the Campers universe.)_

OOOOOOO

Ian scowled again. He hadn't meant for that to slip. Of course, he wasn't all that great at keeping secrets and never had been – one of the drawbacks to being a bad liar – which made it a good thing that he didn't know all that many people in Colorado that weren't involved with the SGC.

"It was right in front of me… I couldn't miss it."

"Could you write them down for me?"

"It's an eight digit address, Daniel," Ian repeated. "We can't go there."

"_Yet_."

Ian shrugged, unable to think of any reason to refuse.

"If you get me a pen and paper, I'll write down the address I saw."

"Great."

Daniel pulled a pen out of his pocket and looked around for a piece of paper. Not finding anything, he picked up a piece of the discarded wrapping paper and handed that to Ian, turning it upside down so the cadet could write on the white side.

Ian wrote down the symbols he'd seen dial up on the center console of the Gateship and then handed the paper to Daniel, who looked excited – although he had to know that they didn't have a power source capable of getting them to the Ancient's city. Or back. Of course, Ian knew if they could get there, they could always use the Gateships to get back. He didn't say that, though, figuring he'd spouted off more than enough already.

"Thanks, Ian."

The cadet shrugged as Daniel tucked the piece of paper into his pocket.

"Sure."

"You need anything?"

Ian shook his head.

"Thanks."

"Hammond's put SG-1 down for a while – with Jacob's arrival Jack might take some vacation. I know Sam will. We'll have time to talk about what else you saw there, later."

"I didn't see anything else, Daniel… just corridors and that room."

"And you don't remember coming back through the gate?"

Ian shook his head, annoyed, now, although not at Daniel. _He_ didn't like mysteries like that any more than anyone else.

"I don't-"

"What _happened_ to you?"

They both looked up and saw Shawn Adams and River Hayden coming over to the bed, both of them looking at him as if surprised to find him there - or at least surprised to find him in bed.

Just as surprised to see them, Ian looked over at Sam's bed, thinking that Shawn would have at least stopped to see her and his new brother, but the curtain was drawn closed – meaning she was probably feeding him – and who wanted to see _that_?

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to see the baby – and Sam," Shawn answered. Duh.

"And to bring you your homework assignments for next week, since you didn't make your annual appearance this morning." River added, looking down at the leg that was stretched in front of Ian and dropping a stack of paperwork on the table in front of him. "What happened to your leg?"

"None of your fucking business."

River grinned, not at all worried about being cussed at. In fact, he might have worried if Ian hadn't said something like that.

"How did you two get down here?" Daniel asked, curiously. It wasn't like they could just pop in like this, after all. Shawn might have clearance to go pretty much any place in Cheyenne Mountain – if there was a reason for him to – but River definitely didn't. Although he'd been to the infirmary and on a mini tour of the place before today.

"Jack called me last night to let me know about the baby," Shawn said. "But… since I'm still a year from having a license, I needed a ride down and arranged for River here to bring me – since he wanted to see the baby, too. General Hammond cleared it, and Teal'c met us at the gate."

"Oh."

"You look like shit, Brooks." River said, looking his friend over.

"Fuck you."

The Californian smiled again, shaking his head, but he was actually serious. When he'd first met Ian at the beginning of the school year, the cadet had been lean and muscular, and probably about 190 pounds. Now, only 7 months later, he looked as if he'd lost at least fifteen pounds, and he looked tired, despite his attitude – which was as natural as breathing.

"You _do_ kind of look tired," Shawn said, giving Ian a quick look, too. "Have you been sick?"

Ian scowled.

"Shouldn't you be visiting _Sam_?"

Shawn grimaced.

"She's feeding the baby. I'll wait."

So he'd been right.

"Well, I'm not going to entertain you guys while you wait, so don't get-"

"You're entertaining us, already," River said. "Just _looking_ at you makes me want to-"

"Fu-"

"Shawn." They all looked over at the sound of Fraiser's voice, and saw she'd walked up without Ian or River noticing at least. The Doctor smiled a greeting to River, who flushed guiltily – reminded as he always was when he saw Janet about the time he'd shot her with a tranquilizer gun. Janet knew this, too, and her smile broadened, although her attention was on Shawn. "Sam's done. Why don't you go say hi?"

"Thanks, Doctor Fraiser."

Shawn left his roommates alone with Janet and Daniel and headed for Sam's bed, unable to hide his excitement. _He_ had a little brother! A little earlier than expected, but that was okay, because Jack had assured him that the baby was healthy even though he was early, and Shawn couldn't wait for Jacob to get bigger so he could spend time with him and teach him all the things a big brother was supposed to teach his little brother. Of course, _Jack_ would want to teach him stuff, too, but that was fine. They could share. Feeling almost giddy, Shawn slowed down when he reached the curtained off area.

"Sam?"

"Come on in, Shawn."

He drew back the curtain and stepped through. Sam was in her bed, but not really in it, because she was sitting on the blanket, holding her newborn son in her arms. She looked a little tired, too, Shawn thought, but her smile was brilliant and it made him smile, too.

"Hi… are you still busy?"

"No. Come meet him."

She shifted the bundle in her arms as Shawn walked up to the bed, and drew the blanket back, revealing a tiny little pinkish red face with a shock of fuzzy hair that was so blonde it was almost white.

"Wow…"

She smiled, proudly.

"Jacob George O'Neill, meet your big brother, Shawn. Shawn, this is Jake."

"He's so small… are you sure he's okay?"

Sam nodded, watching as Shawn extended a hand towards the baby, who was awake but not really paying attention to what was going on around him. Of course, he was only a day old, so she could hardly expect him to – but his distracted look was so much like Jack's that she couldn't help but smile.

"Janet's bringing in a specialist today to check him out, but she says he's healthy as far as she can tell."

Jacob wrapped his tiny fist around Shawn's finger when he touched the infant's hand, and Shawn smiled, delighted.

"Want to hold him?"

There was an instant of panic in the brown eyes, and Shawn shook his head. There was no way. He'd break him.

"He looks pretty comfortable where he is…"


	40. 40

As soon as Shawn left the bedside, Ian looked at River, who had turned to toss one of his best smiles at a passing nurse that he didn't know – but hoped to meet soon. Despite the fact that she had to know he was only flirting, she couldn't help but smile back, which just encouraged River further. Ian scowled.

"Hey… _dipshit_. Pay attention."

River looked back at him, while Daniel grinned and excused himself, telling him he'd be back to talk to him later.

"What?"

Ian waited until Daniel was gone, too, moving down to visit with Shawn and Sam, and gave the Californian all his attention.

"How's Shawn been doing?"

"I killed him last night – crashed our Tomcat trying to do a carrier landing on the simulator."

The Air Force academy had several simulators – which were almost exclusively reserved for the use of the seniors and select juniors – but Jack (and other powers that be with far more brass than he) had arranged to allow River – and Shawn if he wanted it – as much time as they could get in the things, as long as their grades didn't suffer because of it.

Ian scowled. He didn't give a shit about the simulator – although now he was certain he'd _never_ fly in anything River tried to fly.

"Nothing weird going on?"

River knew what Ian was asking, and rather than yank his chain any more – because he knew this was a serious topic for the New Yorker – he shook his head.

"We're not running so much, lately – _I can't imagine why_ – but he's healthy and his grades are good."

"No one's fucking with him?"

River shook his head again.

"They know better."

Ian wasn't the only one who'd stick up for Shawn, after all, and River was heavier than Ian – although far easier to get along with.

"Good."

"Besides," River said, sitting down on the edge of the bed – avoiding the leg. "People _like_ Shawn, once they get over the fact that he's so young. He'll probably make a better officer than either of us, you know."

"Better than you, anyways," Ian said. "You have a habit of shooting people that are on your side." He made a gun out of his finger and thumb. "I'm your leader, bang! Oops."

River grinned, looking around for Fraiser, who was at the far end of the room.

"_You're_ the one who said it wasn't loaded."

"What?" Ian tried to look innocent. "I don't remember saying anything of the sort."

"Bullshit."

Ian snorted, grinning as well. It was nice to have someone to talk to that was his own age, really, and he felt better because of the company – although he'd sooner chop his head off than admit it to Hayden. The people that were usually around him – mostly SG-1 – were all so much older than him that while he liked them (and he did!) he felt a little out of their loop.

"Yeah, okay… I might have been a little too quick to say it was empty – but you should have checked it."

"I will next time."

"I'm sure Fraiser will appreciate it."

River nodded, and looked at the leg again.

"So… what _did_ you do to your leg?"

"It's classified…" he said, mysteriously.

"Would it hurt if I do this?"

River poked the leg through the brace, causing Ian to jump just a little. Yeah, it would hurt.

"Bastard."

River grinned.

"So what did you do to it?"

"I'm not telling you, surfer boy, so go bother someone else."

Poke.

"Damn it, stop that."

"What did you do?"

"Kiss my-"

Poke.

Ian swore, although he was hardly being tortured, and waved to the nurse that River had been flirting with, causing her to come over – which immediately distracted River.

"Could you hand me something blunt and heavy, please?"

Since the nurse hadn't seen Ian looking quite this cheerful in – _ever_ – she smiled.

"Is this guy bothering you, Cadet?"

"I'm _River_," River told her, standing up and holding his hand out. "I'm his-"

"He's not my _anything_," Ian interrupted, "and yes, he's in dire need of an ass kicking. Would you please bring me something to hit him over the head with?"

She laughed and took River's hand for just a moment – he was absolutely gorgeous – and then shook her head.

"River. If you continue to pester my patient, I'll have to have Doctor Fraiser come and-"

"I'm not pestering him. I'm _visiting_ him."

"Still…"

"Okay, okay." River sighed dramatically, and watched as the nurse left, his eyes plainly showing appreciation for the way her uniform fit – which annoyed Ian.

"Would you knock that shit off?"

"What?"

"She's married, okay? Stop ogling her."

"I'm just looking."

"Well stop it. Jesus."

"Just for that, I'm not going to give you your birthday present."

"What?"

River smiled, amused.

"You think we didn't know? Or didn't care? Since I called your apartment last night and tried to get hold of you then – only to have no answer, although I can guess why, now – we brought it with us when we realized you weren't coming by the academy this morning."

"You got me a present?"

"Shawn picked it out."

"Well?"

"Well _what_?"

"Where is it?"

River looked over at the doorway, where he'd set the bag down upon entering the room.

"Just for being a dick, I should make you walk over there and get it yourself."

"And risk Fraiser catching me out of bed…?" Ian made a noise that made River grin.

"She's got you whipped?" He asked, with mock surprise.

Ian scowled.

"I'm not _whipped_, shit for brains. Just a little cautious right now…"

"Which sure sounds a lot like whipped…"

"Go get my present."

River snickered, and moved, swinging his arm as he did and making a cha-KA! sound as he did.

Ian resisted the urge to throw his bucket of legos at him.


	41. 41

River didn't make it all the way to the doorway without being distracted, though. As he passed Sam's bed, he saw that the curtain was open – somewhat – and more importantly, Sam saw him walking by and called his name. He detoured from his original goal and moved the curtain slightly, smiling at Sam – who was holding an incredibly tiny baby in her arms.

"Hey, Sam. How are you doing?" He asked, coming over to sneak a peek. "Wow, he's _tiny_."

"So I've heard," Sam told him with a smile. "This is Jacob."

"Hey, Jake…" River made the shortening of the name naturally, and looked reached out and touched the infant's lower lip, which was protruding slightly. "He's cute."

Sam wasn't above a little impishness herself, and her next words proved it.

"Want to hold him?"

She expected the same reaction that she'd gotten when she'd asked Shawn and Cassandra both that question; quick panic – or paleness – followed by a shaking head and some lame excuse. What she got, however, was a big grin, and River's blue eyes lit up as he dropped the bag in his hand and held his arms out.

"Can I?"

Surprised, she handed the baby over, and to her surprise found that the transfer was incredibly smooth. Then he held Jacob close, crooning down at him and supporting him perfectly – even better than Sam.

"Not the first baby you've held?" Sam asked with a wry smile.

River shook his head, his attention still on Jacob, who was staring up at him.

"Not even close. I have a million little sisters remember? Who do you think put them to sleep when my mom and dad were busy with touring details?"

Sam had forgotten the sisters – or just hadn't considered that – but it didn't matter. The Cadet was holding Jake easily, and not looking at all nervous about it – which made Sam not worry about it, either.

"He's _really_ small, though…" River commented. "None of my sisters were so little."

"He'll grow."

"We got him something," Shawn said, bending over and picking up.

"What?"

"First birthday present goes to _us_," River said, smugly, looking down at Jacob. "Hear that, kid? When someone asks you twenty years from now who got you your first present, you'll be able to say River and Shawn."

Jacob didn't pay any attention to him, but Sam smiled.

Since her hands were free, Shawn reached into the bag and pulled out the present, handing it to her. It was an incredibly tiny navy blue sweatshirt – with a hood – and across the front of it, in bold but tiny letters were the words Air Force Academy. It was too big for him, now, but by the time next winter came along it would fit him.

She smiled, looking at the guys, who were beaming.

"It's adorable."

They both preened.

"We thought you'd like it – and it is appropriate, since you're an alumni."

"It's great."

She pulled Shawn into a hug, feeling tears once more threatening.

"Hey… there are laws in this state against making the moves on your step-mom."

Jack's voice came from behind them, and Shawn and Sam broke the hug to turn and greet him.

"Hi, Jack."

"Hey, Shawn. What do you think of your little brother?"

"He's cute."

Sam held up the sweatshirt so Jack could see it, and he took it from her, smiling.

"'_Air Force Academy'_? Who'd want to go to that crummy school?"

Sam stuck her tongue out at him and Jack's smile grew.

"I-"

"_Hey_! Where's my present?"

The voice clearly belonged to Ian, and it was annoyed. He'd waited long enough for his present, and he was stuck on the wrong end of the infirmary and without anyone to visit, when he knew Sam had a whole roomful of people with her and Jacob and could spare one or two – preferably whichever one was carrying his birthday present.

River rolled his eyes and passed Jacob to Jack, who cuddled him close.

"We'd better take Ian his birthday present before he starts throwing things."

Shawn nodded his agreement and the two of them vanished behind the curtain, Shawn still carrying the bag and River checking out nurses and medics – and doctors – he wasn't a snob, after all. He'd flirt with anyone female.

Ian, of course, was watching from his bed, and he shook his head when they got close enough that he wouldn't have to yell, his expression annoyed but his dark eyes filled with good humor.

"What?" River asked, innocently. "Can't a guy look?"

"Not when it makes him look like a moron," Ian said once they were beside his bed so the females in the room couldn't overhear them. "Girls don't always want a guy checking them out, you know?"

"I'm _not_ checking them out," River said, resuming his previous spot on the edge of Ian's bed. "I'm just…"

"Checking them out…" Shawn said.

"Maybe a little."

"Maybe you should try talking to them instead of ogling them." Ian said scowling. "Pretend you have an education – _that_ might impress them."

"I'm educated," River stated, grinning. "I'm taking all advanced classes and I'm bilingual. What more could a woman want from her man?"

"Speaking _Klingon_ doesn't count as bilingual," Ian told him sarcastically, checking out the bag in Shawn's hand. "Is that my present?"


	42. 42

"We _should_ take it back," River said, not at all as annoyed as he was pretending to be. It was really hard to get him mad, after all, and Ian wasn't really trying.

"You _should_ give it to me before I'm forced to kick your ass."

"Yeah?" River poked Ian's knee through the brace once more. "Try it, Snookums."

Shawn laughed, and dropped the bag in Ian's lap before he could respond to _that_ particular comment.

"Here. Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Adams."

Ian pulled a small box out of the bag. A small box that was terribly wrapped, and closed up in about a ton of scotch tape. Probably more tape than there was wrapping paper – although it did keep the ends of the paper from sticking out.

Which also kept Ian from knowing where to start opening it. It looked like they must have used a couple of rolls.

"Jesus, who wrapped this?"

"River."

Yeah, he could hold a baby, but wrapping presents had never been something he had mastered. The Californian shrugged.

"I didn't want it to come open until you unwrapped it."

Since he couldn't get his fingernail under the tape to even start a tear in the tape armor, it didn't look like that was going to be an issue. After a full minute of trying, Ian scowled, and waved at the nurse he'd been talking to before. She came over, smiling a hello to Shawn, who smiled back.

"I haven't found that blunt object, yet, Cadet. Is he still bothering you?"

That actually made Ian grin – and it lit up his face and eyes so much that she smiled to see how much it changed him when he smiled like that.

"Dipshit here wrapped my present too well," he said, holding up the box. "I don't suppose you have a-"

"Pair of scissors work?" She asked, interrupting and pulling a tiny pair of scissors out of her side pocket, handing them to him.

"Perfect, thanks."

It wasn't exactly what he'd been planning on asking for, but now that he thought about it, they probably didn't carry _scalpels_ in their pants, either, did they? He opened the scissors and used one of the sharp edges to cut through the tape along the seam of the box, sliding through the mess easily.

He couldn't help the smile of triumph as he set the scissors down and ripped the package the rest of the way open. Revealing a watch. And not just some dime store 10-dollar watch, either. It was a _nice_ one; with a black metal band and an analogue face with glow in the dark hands and a number of little dials on it that Ian didn't have a clue what purpose they served. It was much better than his old watch – and a perfect present.

"Wow…"

"You like it?" Shawn asked, grinning.

"Yeah," Ian said, pulling his old watch off and sliding the new one on and fastening the clasp that closed it around his wrist. "Thanks, guys."

"You're welcome," River told him, smiling – both because Ian liked the present, and because the _nurse_ thought it was a nice watch, too. "Shawn actually picked it out – it's apparently a lot like the one Colonel O'Neill wears, but we…"

He trailed off; his eyes going over to the other side of the room where several people had just entered the room. Jacob Carter, who was already heading over to Sam's bed to see her – dressed in the odd Tok'ra clothing, of course – Teal'c, who River already knew, and another woman who was young and hot and dressed in some of the skimpiest clothing River had seen since he'd left California.

"Who is _that_?"

Ian had followed his gaze.

"Dipshit, that's _Jacob_. Sam's dad."

"Not _him_, asshole. The _girl_."

It was Pia, who had recovered somewhat from her injuries – enough so that she was on her feet and able to prepare to return to one of the Tok'ra bases. Ian frowned, wondering if it was such a god idea to have one of the Tok'ra in the room while River was there – it wasn't like he knew what they were, after all, even though Pia didn't look any less human than Jacob and Ian, there was the whole issue of having a snake in her head.

Jack obviously had decided the same thing, because he emerged from the curtain blocking Ian's view of Sam's bed, looking over at Ian's bed – and River, presumably – and then gestured for Teal'c to take Pia out of the room, although he did it politely. Ian knew he'd have Teal'c explain why she was being ushered out like that.

"That's Pia," Ian said, evasively. "She's a… friend of Jacob's…"

"I wish _I_ had friends that looked like that…"

Of course, River and Pia combined probably had the sexual morality of an alley cat, so it would have been rather entertaining to have introduced them, but Ian was just as glad that Jack had stopped that from happening, since it would definitely have complicated things, and Ian felt his life was far too complicated, anyways.

"She's nothing but trouble," Ian said.

"So are you, but we keep you around."

Shawn laughed, and changed the subject.

"So, you like the watch…?"

Ian was just as glad to get the subject changed. He nodded, and admired it by holding his hand out away from his body. The black metal wasn't shiny, it was dull, but that was all for the better since it couldn't reflect sunlight on a mission.

"It's great, guys, thanks."

"You're welcome," Shawn told him. "I set it already, so you don't need to worry about doing it."

"We figured you wouldn't be able to figure it out on your own." River added, finally turning his head from where Pia had vanished out the door.

Ian flipped him off, his eyes still amused, and Shawn looked at the clock over on the far wall, and sighed.

"We're going to have to go."

"What? You just got here."

"We borrowed Captain Strand's car – and he has a meeting off campus at noon and will be pissed if we're not back by then…"

"He _loaned_ you his car?"

Shawn nodded.

"He was in the office when we were talking to the Commandant about getting the morning off to come see you – or to see the baby, I'm not sure which – and Strand offered the car to us."

"Probably to make brownie points," River said, grinning.

"Yeah. But still…"

Ian didn't care how they got there. He was just glad to see them. Because they'd brought him a present, he told himself. It wasn't because he missed them. Well… okay, he missed them a _little_ – but he wouldn't tell them.

"Are you going to be on your feet before next week?" Shawn asked. "Or should we make arrangements to bring you your homework?"

"Nah, I'll be up in a day or two. It's just bruised."

"What did you do to it?" River asked again.

"None of your business."

Poke.

Ian scowled, and looked at the nurse.

"_Big_ and blunt and heavy…" he told her. "A semi truck, maybe… or a loaded bus."


	43. 43

Ian watched as Shawn and River headed for the door, but he wasn't surprised when they stopped at Sam's bed once more and vanished behind the curtain – presumably to say goodbye to her and Jack. He looked down at his watch again, admiring it.

Ian wasn't really a possessive kind of guy – he'd always had plenty to eat and all the things he needed, but really the only thing he'd ever owned that he was manic over was Bubba. And then he'd stolen that Glock off that Army major – who hadn't filed any charges over it (big surprise). Of course, the guy was facing some serious charges of his own from what Ian had heard – mainly from his dad – so it wasn't surprising that he had more to worry about than a lost gun.

A very _nice_ gun, though. One that Ian was really fond of, and had been relieved to hear from Sam that Jack had picked it up from the floor where he'd dropped it. And now, of course, he had two very nice guns. He knew Jack and Sam both carried Berettas, but he liked the heavy feel of the Glock, and was young enough to be impressed by the size of it. Them.

And now he had a very cool watch to add to that slowly growing collection of possessions. He also had a great girlfriend, but Ian didn't count her as something belonging to him. She was her own person and very much so, although he did love her to distraction – and refused to admit it to anyone but her. Even to himself, most times.

"It's nice."

He looked up and saw Jacob Carter had joined him by his bed, and was admiring the watch, too.

Ian smiled.

"Thanks."

"How's the leg?"

"Hurts like a Sonofabitch."

It had been fine until River started poking at it. Now it was throbbing.

"Want me to tell Fraiser?"

"Good Lord, no."

That was all he needed. She'd probably want to run more tests on it or something – or check his range of motion again.

Jacob smiled, and took a seat on the edge of Ian's bed.

"I want to thank you…" He said. "And apologize."

Ian shrugged, unsure what he meant.

"You don't need to-"

"I need to do both," Jacob told him, interrupting. "Sam's my daughter, and I could have lost her. Both when Seterios ambushed us, and when she went into labor. Both times, you were the reason she survived, and the two of you made it back safely. With my grandchild."

Ian flushed. He was already getting embarrassed with all the people telling him he'd done well, when as far as _he_ was concerned, he'd done a shitty job of taking care of either of them. If he'd thought quicker, he might have been able to come up with a way to save them from the Goa'uld without so much bloodshed – and he remembered all the blood quite clearly – and if they'd escaped without blowing their way out of the ship, Sam might not have gone all the way into labor.

"I didn't do-"

"Hush." Jacob said. "So… I need to thank you for saving her and Jacob. And apologize for leading you into the trap in the first place. We really didn't know what-"

"You couldn't have known," Ian said, interrupting. "Seterios was pretty impressed with himself that he'd been among you guys for so long without you knowing."

"Several of us noticed that he had become more aggressive," Jacob said, shrugging. "We just assumed it was the increase in Jaffa and Goa'uld activity in the area."

"You couldn't have known," Ian repeated.

"I almost cost a good friend his only son."

Ian blushed. The way Jacob said it, it made it seem like Ian was the most important thing in the world to Nathan Brooks, and he wasn't sure how to deal with that. Not after so many years of being certain his dad barely even knew he was alive.

"It's okay, Jacob…" Ian said, finally. "Everything turned out okay."

"Because of you."

Ian shrugged. Obviously no matter what he said, it wasn't going to make him realize he'd done everything – most things, anyways – wrong. So he just decided not to say anything.

Jacob seemed to realize he was uncomfortable, because he fell silent, as well.

Ian looked at him after a minute.

"You're really a Tok'ra, huh?"

Carter grinned, and nodded.

"Surprise."

"How'd that happen?"

"It's a long story."

The cadet looked around, shrugging.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Good point.

Jacob shrugged as well, and settled himself a little more comfortably on the edge of Ian's bed – carefully avoiding the injured leg.

"Well… it all started several years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer…"

OOOOOOOOOOO

They were alone. Well, _somewhat_ alone, anyways. As alone as you could be in an infirmary with people around them. Daniel had left with River and Shawn, to walk them up to the gate, and had offered to take Jaffer out for a quick run. Jacob had excused himself to go talk to Ian and Teal'c hadn't returned from taking Pia back to her bed until Jacob was ready to leave.

Jack was holding Jacob, who was asleep once more, and was sitting next to Sam, who was leaning back into her pillows, and into his side, her head resting on his shoulder, just being with him and their new son. The two of them hadn't had a lot of alone time, really, although once they had a clean bill of health for Jacob and could take him home they would have more and they both knew it. Neither minded the fact that their friends had come to see the baby and wanted to hold him – it was the nature of babies to turn ordinary people into morons, after all.

"You know…" Sam said, softly. "They're right."

"Shawn and River?" Jack asked, just as softly.

Sam nodded.

Before they'd left, Shawn had mentioned to Sam that Ian looked tired, and River had agreed, asking if he'd been sick lately. Of course, Ian had been sick, but while it had been serious, it hadn't been enough to explain the exhaustion his friends had noticed. Jack and Sam both knew _that_ was more than just illness related. Ian had been driving himself fairly hard – working with Sam in her lab, Jack with SG-1, and doing the schoolwork required of him to keep up with his classes at the academy. Add to that the fact that Teal'c had taken over his self-defense classes in the absence of Bra'tac.

He was doing well in all of it – still at the top of his class at school, despite his absence – but it was taking its toll on him, whether he knew it or not. And to their consternation, neither Sam nor Jack had really noticed. But Shawn and River had, since they didn't see him every day, now.

"Yeah."

Jack nodded, too.

"I know. I didn't think about it, but he does have a lot on his plate, doesn't he?"

It was just that Ian handled it all so well, it was hard to realize.

"And adding to it every day, it seems."

"Well, SG-1 will be on stand down for a couple of weeks – maybe longer. That'll give him a chance to get some rest."

"I think we ought to send him off somewhere. Force him to relax."

"It's too early for summer camp."

Sam laughed.

"Could you imagine him being a counselor?"

"I couldn't have imagined Teal'c being one, either, and he does okay."

"Teal'c doesn't have Ian's temper."

True.

"So… where do we send him? Offworld?"

"No. That might end up being work." She looked down at Jacob, and kissed Jack's neck. "We'll have to think about it…"

Something would come to them.


	44. 44

_Author's Note: Okay… it's really not all that hard to tell the multiple named characters apart. Whenever I mention Jack (the dog) I put the little (the dog) thing after his name. With the two Jacobs, you can assume that if one is walking around, talking to people and doing pretty much anything, it's Jacob Carter, Sam's dad. If Sam is breast-feeding a Jacob, we'll assume that it's the baby Jacob, because the alternative is just too icky to consider. If there's a Jacob being cuddled, assume it's the baby. If a Jacob is being held and changed and circumcised, assume it's the baby. How hard is that?_

OOOOOOOO

Jacob was right; it _was_ a long story. Made even longer by the fact that Ian kept asking questions – since he didn't know all that much about the Tok'ra in the first place – and interrupting the tale. Selmac had made a brief 'appearance', to be introduced to him, and had occasionally answered a question as well.

During the telling, Hammond ended up stopping by, looking for Jacob to talk to him about some matter or the other regarding his injured companions, and the general had ended up sitting on the bed as well, listening in on the story – even though he already knew it, of course.

When Jacob finished, telling Ian that now he was a representative between the two races, Ian couldn't help but be impressed. A symbiote wasn't something _he'd_ ever want – he couldn't imagine the thought of not being in command of his own mind and body for even a minute – but it seemed like the perfect thing for Jacob. Especially considering the alternative. He hadn't even heard the older man was sick.

"Does my dad know you had cancer?"

Jacob shook his head.

"I told him I was sick – which was my reason for moving out of DC. Climate changes, you know."

Since the weather in DC was shitty pretty much all year round – too cold in the winter and too hot and muggy in the summer, although spring and fall weren't too terrible – Ian could believe that. And knew his dad would have, as well.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah. I'm doing something _important_, you know? It feels good after being retired…"

Ian nodded, but before he could say anything, Hammond spoke up.

"I need to borrow you for a while, Jacob…"

"Sure thing, George. I should probably let Ian get some rest anyway."

Ian scowled at that comment, as Jacob had known he was going to, and he rested his hand on the cadet's forearm for a moment before standing up.

"I'll come see you before I leave."

"Okay."

"I'll even bring Pia."

"Oh, _joy_."

Jacob grinned; that was pretty much the reaction he'd expected. He and Hammond left, leaving Ian to get some rest.

Which, of course, he didn't need. His leg was injured, he had a simple cut on his head and a few bruises – okay several bruises – but none of that was life-threatening, and none of it required lots of sleep to heal him. He sighed, and looked at the stack of homework on the table in front of him. He might as well get started on it, huh? Get a head start and maybe have it done by evening, so he'd have… well… a whole lot of spare time to do absolutely nothing, since Fraiser probably wasn't going to let him out of bed anyway.

Or…

He leaned over and looked down at the large bucket of legos sitting on the floor by his bed.

OOOOOOOOOO

Jack was tired. He'd had a long couple of days; filled with a roller coaster of emotions from fear (_terror_, actually when he'd lost Sam to the Goa'uld), joy at her return, wonder at the early arrival of Jacob, relief, gratitude and a myriad of other emotions. Lounging beside Sam as she nursed Jacob, it was a small wonder that he dozed off, his forehead resting against her shoulder and his hand lightly pressed against her stomach, just under where she was holding the infant.

She noticed fairly quickly, and smiled softly as she switched Jacob over to the other breast, moving carefully to avoid disturbing either her husband or her son, and when Jacob resumed nursing, she reached out with her free hand and brushed her fingers against Jack's cheek, knowing that even if she woke him he wouldn't mind, and unable to stop from doing it.

He shifted a little in his sleep, his head coming off her shoulder and resting against her pillow, his face turning towards her, but even though she watched, his eyes didn't open and his steady breathing never changed.

"Asleep, is he?" Janet asked softly as she came over to check on Sam and see how things were going.

Sam smiled and nodded.

"He looks tired."

"He'll be more tired once you guys take Jacob home. At least until the baby gets into a pattern of sorts."

"How long do you think that'll take?"

Sam wasn't worried about lack of sleep. She was used to it, and she figured Jacob was worth anything she'd ever have to put up with.

Janet shrugged.

"It just depends on him. Some babies do it immediately; some take a good six or seven months to." She smiled. "Just remember, if you ever need a babysitter, Cassie and I are always willing."

Sam nodded.

"I know. She told me."

"Jack will help, too," Janet assured her. "He's done this before, remember, so don't be afraid to ask him…"

"I know. I'm not worried." She gave the man sleeping beside her another tender look. "He's going to talk to General Hammond about taking three weeks off to help get us into a routine – more if he thinks it's needed – or if I ask him to." She didn't plan to keep him away from work that long, though. For that matter, she didn't intend to stay away from her lab for all that long, either. Once Jacob was a little bigger, she'd get one of those things that she could use to carry him all the time, and she could still do her experiments. The non-dangerous ones, anyways.

"Three week vacation?" Janet said, smiling. "What a pleasant thought. I wonder if Daniel's going to use that time to get some rest, too, or if he'll go offworld with other teams?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted, shrugging. "But Jack and I were talking about sending Ian somewhere. He's started to look a little worse for wear, you know…?"

Janet nodded. She _had_ noticed – but only because she'd checked his medical records from the time he'd joined the SGC until that morning, and had been shocked to find he'd lost 18 pounds. While most women – and many men – would love to lose that much weight, it was a lot for someone as thin as Ian was already.

"Where are you going to send him?"

Sam shrugged.

"We don't know. Maybe someplace with sand… and water… and sun…"

"Why don't you ask Cassie? She'd know what he likes and doesn't like…" Janet said. "If anyone would know the perfect getaway for him, it'd probably be her."

That was a great idea, Sam decided. She hadn't even considered it. She'd been thinking of maybe calling up Nate or Maggie and asking them – although that would make them worry about him, and she didn't want them to worry.

"Good idea, Janet."

"She'll be by to visit after school." Janet said. "Just remember… wherever you decide to send him, he's _not_ taking her."

She was finally allowing herself to get used to the idea that Cassie was dating Ian, but she had no intention of allowing her to go off on a trip alone with him. No matter how tired he was.


	45. 45

"What on earth is _that_?"

Ian looked up from his creation, and blushed slightly, having been caught playing with the legos. Of course, if Janet and company had given him anything better to do, he wouldn't have been driven to it, so he didn't feel quite so foolish, but still…

"It's a… ship."

Janet looked at the intricately designed object on the table in front of the cadet and then over at him.

"It doesn't look like it would float…"

"Not a _water_ ship, a space ship… craft… whatever…"

"From Star Wars?" She remembered he'd watched that with Cassie and the others only a short time ago.

It looked alien to her.

"Nah. Just something I made up."

"It's… interesting."

"Thanks."

Not being an engineer or a rocket scientist, Janet wasn't all that interested in the designs of craft like that, or she might have been more impressed. The ship Ian had made was actually more than just interesting; it was the work of a genius – a genius that had an intense understanding of translinear movement and had applied it to the design of the space ship he'd constructed. Of course, the thing was made out of legos and Ian wasn't creative enough to color coordinate them to make it prettier – he was a _genius_, not Martha Stewart – so it was understandable that not everyone would be impressed. For that matter, probably only a very small percentage of the population would even notice anything beyond the fact that it was, indeed, made out of toys.

Like an architect building a skyscraper out of Lincoln Logs.

"Are you hungry?" Janet asked, changing the subject.

"Do I have to eat in bed?"

She frowned, knowing full well that if she let him up now, he was going to badger her to allow him up for dinner, and who knew what else – probably, he'd even start trying to get her to release him earlier than she intended to. Of course, he wasn't all that badly hurt – she just wanted to keep an eye on him for a couple days to make sure – so there was no reason to confine him to his bed. As long as he did things her way.

"You can go to the commissary if you agree to a wheelchair," Janet said. "And promise to _stay_ in it."

He scowled, but apparently decided that it was better than staying in bed, because a moment later he nodded.

"Deal."

She smiled.

"I'll have an orderly come and help you into it and take you up there."

"I can do it."

"Don't argue with me on this, okay?" She said. "I'm going to be closed up with Sam, Jack and the baby and the preemie specialist for the next couple of hours and I don't want to have to worry about where you are and if you're having problems with the chair. You can go alone later."

He wanted to argue, she could tell, but to his credit – and her relief – he finally just nodded.

"Okay."

But only because it was for Sam.

"Thank you."

"Thank _you_."

She smiled.

"How does the knee feel?"

"It's okay."

"Pain?"

"Not too much."

Yeah, like he'd admit it to _her_? She'd just told him he could get out of bed! The last thing he was going to do was tell her his leg hurt – even though it was throbbing a bit. She'd probably want to do more tests on it, or something.

Janet wasn't fooled, though, although she let him think she was. He wasn't in too much discomfort, or she'd have recognized the signs of pain in his expression. If he wanted to be stubborn and live with what there was, she'd allow it – especially since he wasn't going to be trying to walk on it or even use crutches. She didn't want any weight on that leg just then.

"If you need anything while I'm with Sam and them, just ask one of the other doctors."

Ian nodded.

"Thanks."

Janet looked at his lego creation once more, and then left him alone, stopping just long enough to give several orders to one of the other doctors and an orderly before she gathered up Sam, Jacob, and Jack and took them out of the infirmary and down the hall to the office where the preemie specialist had been escorted, and where he was setting up his equipment.

OOOOOOOO

"Does Janet know you're out of bed?"

Ian looked up from his lunch and nodded.

"She knows."

"And she's not out looking for you with a mob?"

Ian smiled, and patted the arm of the wheelchair he was sitting in.

"As long as I stay in this, she said I could get out of bed."

"Ah."

He couldn't believe Ian had agreed to it, and wondered what the conversation between the two had been like. He looked at the plates on front of Ian.

"And does she know that you're attempting to cause famine through out the land by eating everything in sight?"

Ian's smile grew. He did have a lot of food in front of him, but he didn't have any concerns about his ability to finish it all. He was hungry. A bowl of soup wasn't going to fill him up, but it did give him something to dip his three sandwiches in, and besides, he liked noodles. The lasagna had been freshly made, and smelled so good that he hadn't been able to resist ordering some of that – along with fresh rolls, of course – and the pasta salad had looked just as appealing. Add to all of that a quart of chocolate milk, what looked like half a cherry pie (with ice cream melting beside it) and a piece of his own leftover birthday cake, and it was a fair bet he wasn't going to go back to the infirmary hungry.

"She didn't ask."

"And you're not going to tell?"

"Exactly."

Daniel smiled and shook his head. He used to eat like that – way back when. Actually, the lasagna looked pretty good. And smelled good, too. He looked over at the serving area to make sure there was more and that Ian hadn't cleaned them out.

"I think I'll join you."

Ian nodded, and gestured to the spot across from him. He didn't mind the company.


	46. 46

"Are you _certain_ of his due date?"

Sam and Jack both nodded, watching as the preemie specialist examined Jacob once more, the baby lying on an extremely fluffy blanket which had been placed in a specially designed basinet type structure that he'd brought with him.

Doctor Lawrence Ali had been introduced to them both and had proven to be a very affable man who was huge and gentle at the same time. Quite spoken – probably because of the nature of his work – he was also quick to smile and reassure and when Jack handed Jacob over to him, he'd handled him gently, his large hands dwarfing the tiny infant.

"We're certain within a couple of days," Janet said, agreeing. Of course she hadn't actually been on the honeymoon, but there was no mistaking the time, because of how difficult it was to work around the peculiarities of Sam's fertility.

"The reason I ask," Ali said, running his cheek lightly against Jacob's belly as he listened to his heart beating – without the use of a stethoscope – "…is that his lungs and heart are extremely well developed for a baby born so early." He smiled at Sam – and he had a warm, reassuring smile. "Usually that's the biggest concerns with preemies; the fact that their organs haven't had a chance to develop completely, even though they're already formed. Which is why so many end up have difficulties. Young Jake here," and he held the infant in one hand while he tested his vision by waving his other hand lightly in front of the infant. "Has no developmental problems at all, as far as I can tell. And from the looks of the tests we've run, he's perfect." Again the warm smile. "But I'll bet you two have already figured that out?"

Jack couldn't help himself; he smiled. Not only in response to the relief of hearing that his son was fine, but because the doctor was seriously one of the nicest and most caring people he'd ever seen – and Jack never made that kind of snap judgment. He was usually quick to decide the bad, but slow to decide on the good in the people around him.

"Yeah, he gets that from Sam," Jack told him.

Ali nodded and handed Jacob back to Sam, who was blushing despite herself. The compliment was nothing new – Jack was always quick to say something sweet about her, whether she needed it or not – but it had been delivered with such a warm look of tenderness that she couldn't help but feel gooey inside.

"So he's going to be okay?"

"For all that he was delivered prematurely and by kid who had no clue what he was doing? He's going to be something special. How could he be anything _but_ with a start like that?"

Sam cuddled Jacob, who was starting to fuss just a little.

"Is there anything we need to watch for?" Janet asked.

Ali shook his head.

"Just the usual things. Make sure he's gaining weight, double check his vision and reflexes every visit to make sure he's still on track – but really, apart from being so small; he looks great. And he'll grow quickly, I assure you."

"Thank you, Doctor."

The specialist nodded, and offered Jack his hand.

"You're very welcomed, Colonel O'Neill. I'll leave my number with you, and if you or Samantha have any questions, please feel free to call."

"We will."

"How about a cup of coffee before you go, Lawrence?" Janet asked, smiling her own relief. It was one thing for _her_ to say Jacob was okay, but she wasn't a specialist and it was a relief to have one agree with her. Ali was one of the best in his field, and he was rarely wrong about such things.

"Sounds great."

He was hoping to get a look around this securely guarded base that he'd been brought to – although there was no way he could have known that all he'd see was corridors on the way to the commissary.

OOOOOOO

"I was thinking…"

Ian looked up from his lasagna when Daniel spoke up. He was halfway through it, with another two sandwiches to go – although most of the soup was gone, as was the cherry pie and ice cream, since it had started to melt, and he couldn't have that, right?

"About what?"

"The ship you were on."

"What about it?"

"It's Ancient, right?"

"You said it was," Ian agreed, cautiously. He wasn't going to give his opinion.

"Then it's probably the main transportation that the Ancients used for getting around."

"What did they do before they'd built the Stargates, though?" Ian asked.

Daniel frowned. Oh yeah.

"Well… they probably had transport ships, too – long distant ones, since they'd need to carry all the materials for building the gates to the various worlds. Very few of the worlds we've come across have natural supplies of the metals the gates are built of."

"Not to mention DHDs probably don't grow on DHD trees," Ian added, stuffing a buttered roll into his mouth.

Daniel nodded his agreement.

"You just have to wonder what they could have-"

A wail interrupted Daniel's tangent, and both of them looked over towards the entrance to the commissary, knowing already what – or who, to be precise – they were going to see. Sure enough, Sam and Jack appeared at the doorway, Sam crooning to a fussy Jacob, and Jack walking beside a guy that had to be at least as big as Teal'c, but who had no military bearing whatsoever. And Ian knew military when he saw them.

Janet Fraiser entered the room right behind the three, and Ian and Daniel saw them all look their way.

"That must be the preemie specialist," Daniel said. "Wow… he's… um… _big_."

"Bet he played football," Ian agreed. The guy just got bigger as they approached the table, and Sam smiled a hello to Ian and Daniel, both.

"Hey, guys," Jack said, looking at the dizzying array of food on the table – most of it centered in front of Ian. "Lunch?"

Ian nodded, and Sam came over and sat down beside him, Jacob starting to gear up into a full-fledged fit.

"Is he okay?" He asked.

"He's fine," Sam said, smiling. "Probably just being Grumpy baby, again."

"Ian, Daniel? I want you to meet Doctor Lawrence Ali… baby doctor extraordinaire. Doctor Ali, this is Daniel, and Ian. Ian's the one who delivered Jake."

Ali smiled and offered Ian his hand, and the cadet dropped his fork and took it. His hand was huge, but the handshake was surprisingly gentle.

"You did very well, young man," Ali told Ian, sitting down without asking for permission. Of course, when you're _that_ big, who do you have to ask?

Ian blushed, and mumbled something, looking into his lasagna.

"Hungry?" Fraiser asked, coming over to join them with a tray of coffee mugs, all filled and piping hot. She couldn't believe the amount of food in front of the cadet – of course, she'd seen him eat at Thanksgiving, but that had to have been a fluke, right?

Ian blushed again.

"Don't listen to her, Ian," Jack said, taking a cup and handing it to Sam, and then taking Jacob from her so she could drink it. He was glad to see Ian eating so heartily. It was a good way to regain some of that lost weight that Janet and the others had noticed. The infant stuttered for just a moment, debating if this change of possession was a good thing, and decided he was still feeling grumpy. The crying continued.

Ali smiled, not at all concerned by the crying.

"Preemies normally have very weak cries," he said. "Because of their under developed lungs. Jake's are great. Don't worry, though, if he screams sometimes. As long as you know he's not wet, or hungry or hurting, he's fine. Babies cry."

Jack already knew that – although it was good to hear it again.

"Want to see something neat, Doc?" he said, smiling. He handed Jacob over to Ian, who, startled, reached out and took him before he could think about how many reasons there were for him not to be holding the baby – the main one being that Jacob was very fragile.

Immediately Jacob hiccupped, and with a dazed expression on his little face, he stopped crying.

"How'd you do that?" Daniel asked, just as impressed as Ali was.

"Cuddle him, Ian," Jack reminded him.

Ian gave a purely mental sigh, and brought Jacob up close against his chest. Not that he didn't like the baby – his Godson, thank you very much – but he just knew he was going to end up dropping him on his head.

"He likes Ian," Sam said, smiling proudly – even though she hadn't really even considered handing the crying baby over to Ian, thinking that the first time had been a fluke.

"Someone has to," Ian said, tucking Jacob's head under his chin.


	47. 47

_Author's Note: Well… that just proves that Jack and Daniel and all the others are more romantic than I am, because you're right. He would have brought Sam flowers, and I didn't even think of flowers. Bah._

OOOOOOOO

"That's a neat trick," Ali said, looking over at Ian and the baby, who was watching Sam with bright eyes from his position under Ian's chin, his ear pressed tightly against the steadily throbbing jugular vein. Sam smiled and reached out, wiping the wet cheeks of the tears that had smeared them during his fit.

"Who knew Ian was such a softie when it came to babies?" Jack said, sitting next to Sam and scooting close enough that he could put his arm around her.

Ian scowled, ignoring the way everyone else smiled at that thought. _He_ knew he didn't have a way with babies. Truth be told, Jacob was the first one he'd ever held. Jacob was simply bonded to him in ways that they'd never understand – or actually, they might understand, but that Ian would never tell. When he'd healed the little lungs and other parts of the infant – God was it only a day ago? – Ian had left a signature imprinted on the infant's very psyche, a piece of himself because of the giving of his own life force to heal him, and Jacob responded to that every time Ian touched him.

"Tell me of the delivery," Doctor Ali requested from the other side of the cadet. "It must be a very interesting story."

Ian turned slightly green, looking at his unfinished lunch, and Sam wasn't the only one to smile.

"I don't think that's a good topic for a meal conversation," Janet said, delicately – much to Ian's relief.

Ali realized then that the people around him weren't doctors as well – except Janet, of course – and smiled. He and his colleagues were always discussing such things as surgeries, blood work, deliveries and all sorts of medically related topics over meals, but he supposed he could understand why the young man sitting next to him looked as if it wasn't a topic he'd want to discuss just then.

"You're right, and I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Ian shrugged.

"It's all right."

Which didn't mean he wanted to discuss it.

"So, is Jake okay?" Daniel asked, looking at Janet, who gestured for Doctor Ali to field the question. The big man nodded, all smiles.

"He's perfect. A couple more days of observation – just to make sure he's gaining weight, and because I've never allowed a preemie so small to go home – and he'll be ready to face the wide world."

Daniel smiled, not only because he knew that it was a relief for Sam and Jack to know that, but because _he_ was relieved, too. Jacob was basically like a nephew to him, after all – especially since he didn't have any siblings of his own to produce them for him. He'd take Jack and Sam's baby in that role any day.

"That's good news."

"Give him here, Ian," Sam said, softly, reaching for the infant. "You need both hands to eat."

Actually, Ian only needed one hand to eat, but he didn't dare use only one hand to hold Jacob so there was no way he could. Not to mention he didn't want to accidentally drop something on him. He was more than willing to hand him over, though, and Jacob was ready to go back to Sam.

Ian applied himself to his lunch once more, while the conversation turned to what to expect by way of growth for the baby, and Janet watched the cadet eat, glad to see he had a good appetite, because at the moment she was just as concerned about him as she was about Jacob. Especially now that Ali had eased her concerns about the baby.

OOOOOOOOOO

"What's this?"

"My homework."

Jack looked at Ian, who was getting out of his wheelchair and back into his bed. It was mid-afternoon and Janet had sent Sam and Ian both back to bed. Ali had left a short time before, with Daniel escorting him up through the checkpoints and Fraiser didn't want either of her patients – or Jacob – out of bed for too long.

"Smart ass. It looks like a lot of legos to me."

Ian smiled.

"Yeah. I was bored."

"What is it?"

"A ship."

"Space ship?"

"Yup."

"Based on… anything in particular?"

He shook his head.

"I made it up."

"Has Sam seen it?"

"It's a bunch of legos thrown together, Jack. Hardly a monumental discovery."

O'Neill shrugged.

"Sam likes that kind of thing, though."

"Yeah, well… she likes _you_, too… so there's no accounting for taste…"

Jack grinned. He'd put up with that, but if Ian wasn't in Janet's infirmary, the boy would be in for some serious retribution. A wedgie at least.

"Don't destroy it until she has a chance to see it, okay?"

Ian shrugged. It wasn't like he couldn't rebuild it – and it was beginning to look like he was going to have plenty of time to do it, since Janet had mentioned keeping him through the weekend.

"Okay."

"Do you need…"

Jack trailed off, since Ian wasn't looking at him anymore. The cadet's gaze had wandered to the door, where a visitor had entered, carrying a large and bulky gift bag in her hand and was looking his way with a smile on her face. Cassie Fraiser waved at Ian, but made a stop to see Sam once Ian had waved back, and Jack knew Ian didn't need anything.

"I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Ian turned his attention back to Jack.

"Thanks, Jack."

O'Neill just shook his head, wryly, and headed over to Sam's bed.

OOOOOOOOO

"Hey, super smart boyfriend…" Cassie said, waking up to his bed a few minutes later, still holding the bag. "I heard a rumor that it's your birthday…"

Ian smiled. A real smile that warmed his dark eyes and softened his features considerably.

"It was yesterday, Cassandra," he told her, reaching his hand out for hers and squeezing it lightly when she took it. "You're a day late."

"Hey… I was _here_," she said, putting the bag in his lap. "You just wouldn't wake up enough to open your present."

Of course, she hadn't had the present with her when she'd come to check on him, but that was beside the point, right?

"You didn't have to get me anything, you know that."

She leaned over and kissed him, softly.

"I know. But I wanted to. Open it."

Ian let go of her hand and opened the bag, which was closed with a ribbon and a piece of tape. He smiled when he saw what was in it, and reached in and pulled out a fairly large stuffed teddy bear, black and silky with a brown nose and black button eyes. It was wearing a white T-shirt with the words 'I love you' across the front, and a card attached to its hand with a safety pin.

Ian smiled.

"Do you like it?"

"He's great. Thank you."

Even if it had been a simple card with no message inside taped to a daily newspaper Ian would have liked it, though. It was definitely a matter of the giver and not the gift.

"I know it's not a very macho gift…"

He reached out and took her hand, pulling her close and hugging her.

"I don't need macho gifts, Cassandra." He didn't, either. "And any present from you is better than anything from anyone else."

She smiled, pleased, and hugged him back, wondering if he had any idea how good he made her feel when he said stuff like that.

"Happy late birthday, Ian."


	48. 48

He set the bear down on the bed next to him, leaning it against his pillow, and watched as Cassie settled herself on the edge of the bed, her leg tucked up under her.

"How was school?"

"It was okay. I'm glad it's Friday, though."

He was, too.

"Is your mom going to let you stick around?"

She nodded.

"For a while, anyways."

"Good."

"Where did you get the legos?"

"Daniel and Teal'c."

"Is that a spaceship?"

He nodded.

"It's just a-"

"Hey, Cass?" Jack had come up behind her and they both looked up at him. "Can I borrow you for a second?"

She smiled.

"Sure, Jack." She turned to Ian. "I'll be right back."

OOOOOOOOOO

Jack led Cassie back over to Sam's bed. She was sitting up; lounging above the blankets while Jacob was soundly sleeping in his basinet. She smiled when Cassie joined them and Jack closed the curtain behind them.

"What's up, Sam?"

"We were hoping you could give us some advice."

"Yeah? About what?"

It wasn't very often that Sam and Jack came to her for advice.

"Ian."

"Ian?"

"The dark-haired kid you're dating?" Jack said.

Cassie smiled.

"Oh... _that_ Ian. What about him?"

Jack came over and sat down next to Sam, his arm automatically sliding around her waist. "We think he needs a vacation."

"A vacation?"

Sam nodded.

"We're worried that he's been working too hard, and we thought that since SG-1's going to be on stand down starting on Monday, we could send him off on a vacation somewhere. We were hoping you might have some suggestions…"

Cassie frowned.

"Does _he_ know you're planning on sending him somewhere?"

"We haven't talked about it, no…"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because Ian won't like it."

Jack frowned.

"What?"

"I don't _think_ he would, anyways…" Cassie said, correcting herself.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Because he doesn't like to travel… not really."

"What if we sent him to Hawaii?" Jack asked. "It's sunny and warm and-"

"And an _airplane_ flight away…"

The fact that Ian didn't like to fly was hardly a huge secret. Jack frowned.

"Good point. Well, what if we-"

"Just let him have the time off," Cassie said, shrugging. "He'd probably like that better."

Sam frowned, too, because that didn't seem like much of a vacation, but she supposed that if she were tired, she wouldn't really want to go to all the hassle of going anywhere on vacation, either. However, she and Jack had been hoping for a chance to do something for him, and letting him alone just didn't seem like the best thank you in the world. Not for what he'd done for them. And Jake.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. He didn't look like he liked that idea any more than Sam did, but Cassie simply shrugged again.

"He'd relax more if he wasn't surrounded by a lot of people."

She didn't elaborate on that, but she didn't have to. Everyone who knew him knew that people annoyed Ian. At least strangers did. And sometimes people he knew did, too.

"Huh…"

Sam looked over at Jack, who shrugged.

"Thanks Cass," he said, finally. "I guess we'll have to give it more thought."

She smiled.

"Sure thing. Did you need anything else?"

"Nope. That was it."

"Then I'm going to go put his brains to work and get my homework done early."

So then she could have the rest of the weekend to hang out with him – mother and military base permitting.

Sam smiled, understanding exactly what she was thinking, and shooed the girl off, and looked at Jack again when she had left.

"Well?"

He scowled, and rested his chin on her shoulder – he did that a lot when he was thinking and happened to be close to her.

"We'll have to think of something else, then…"

"Like what?"

"Something _big_…"

"Like what?" Sam repeated.

Yeah… that was the question, wasn't it?

"_You're_ the genius, remember?" He told her, tilting his head sideways and brushing a kiss against her neck – a kiss that made her shiver in delight. "Think of something."

OOOOOOOO

Ian looked up when Cassie returned. He'd pushed the table with the lego creation off to the side and had pulled the one that was stacked with his homework close so he could at least take a look at it and see how much time it'd take to get it done. It didn't look too complicated from what he had seen – although he might need to ask Sam about a couple of formulas if she had the time later.

"Everything okay?"

She nodded, and plopped down on his bed again, careful of the leg, but getting close, otherwise.

"Everything's fine."

She looked at the homework he'd been studying.

"Are you going to do that now?"

"Nah, I was just looking at it."

"Good. Would you mind helping me with mine?"

He smiled, reaching out and taking her hand.

"You just love me for my _mind_, don't you?"

"Well…" she pretended to think about it, and shook her head. "You do have a cute butt, too… but your butt can't help me get an _A_ in Chemistry, and your mind has."


	49. 49

It was much later that evening when Sam came wandering over to Ian's side of the infirmary. Cassie and Janet had both already left for the night; Jack was off spending time with Jaffer – who had spent most of the afternoon with Teal'c and Jack (the dog) and definitely needed some quality time with Jack (the person) now. Not that he showed any indication of being jealous of the amount of time and attention Sam and Jack were showering on the newcomer; in fact, he'd been very patient, as was the nature of labs – and Jaffer in particular – but neither Sam or Jack wanted him to feel left out, so Jack was taking him on an extended frolic in the park, and would then gather up yet some more clothing for them since Sam wasn't going to be released until Monday at the earliest, and there was no way Jack was going to leave her side for that long.

He'd stopped and asked Ian if there was anything he could bring him back from his apartment, but Ian had only asked Jack to refill the time feeder in Daniel's fish tank so the fish wouldn't starve. He didn't need anything, really. Daniel had already brought him some sweats, t-shirts and underwear so he wasn't stuck in hospital clothes – which had made Janet scowl, although she hadn't said anything.

"What are you working on?" Sam asked as she approached the bed. He had two tables all for himself now; one was stacked with papers and a water bottle, and the other was covered in legos and a very cool looking spaceship that Sam had heard Jack and a couple of the medics mentioning – although she hadn't seen it herself until just then. At the moment, Ian's attention was on the papers, and Sam could see he was sketching something.

He looked up at the sound of her voice, setting the pen down.

"Nothing really," he admitted. "Just procrastinating."

She smiled and sat on the edge of his bed, looking at the paper.

"May I?"

He nodded and she reached over and picked it up, studying the sketch – which was obviously an engine design of some sort. Although it didn't look like anything Sam had ever seen – which _didn't_ mean it wasn't valid.

"What is it?"

He shook his head.

"I'm not really sure yet. Some kind of drive, I suppose – a faster way to get to point B from point A – maybe skipping B completely and heading to C if someone wanted to – although I haven't figured out how to make it really work. And it'd be way too dangerous to actually put in any kind of ship, since it runs entirely on hypotheticals."

"Such as?"

"The theory that if you can warp the space in front of you enough to bend it, you should be able to fold it, too – maybe even enough to cover a long distance in next to no time, relatively."

Sam frowned thoughtfully, looking at the sketch on the paper she was holding.

"But in order to do that, you'd need a ship with incredible shielding in order to withstand the forces that would come into play. From the inside _and_ out."

Ian nodded.

"Not to mention the very real possibility of maybe going into different dimensions – like time travel, I suppose."

After all, anytime you played around with gravity like that, there was always a chance of these things happening – Sam knew that, and apparently Ian had read enough of their older mission files (or maybe Daniel, Jack or Teal'c had told him) for him to know it, too.

"This is really impressive, Ian…" She said, finally.

He shrugged.

"It's doodle over that or work on my homework…" Which he really should get started on.

She smiled, and glanced at the Lego ship. Unlike everyone else who had looked at it, seeing only some kind of Star Wars or science fiction craft, Sam saw it as a bit more. It was oddly shaped, with a slightly bulkier front end than back end – which was _not_ the norm – and that alone drew her attention to it, because she knew that he'd done that for a reason.

"Is that the ship that would hold this drive?" She asked, seriously, making sure he knew she wasn't teasing.

He shook his head.

"The front end of this one wouldn't have the structural integrity to handle the g-forces of that drive, Sam. It's more likely to be used for some shorter trips – maybe using a modified drive like the ones the Asgard use."

She frowned.

"How do you know about Asgard technology?"

As far as she knew, he hadn't had many dealings with Thor, and she hadn't mentioned any of the technology to him.

"Shawn knows something about it," Ian said – which was true. "I asked him." Also true. Of course, the rest of that was that he knew about it because the Ancients knew about it, and it was another clump of information that was making itself known to him every now and then when he least expected it. Stuff he was writing down – or sketching out – to better understand it as more came to him.

"Ah." She hadn't considered that. Sam smiled, looking at the ship, and then the drawings. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a very smart young man?"

Ian blushed a little, but he also smiled. It was okay to have _Sam_ tell him that, after all. She was easily as smart as he was. _Smarter_, really, if you counted the fact that she had far more practical experience and book learning than he did – although he was catching her on the bookwork part. Already he was well past anyone else in his year at the academy, and was doing coursework that only a few of the instructors could assign.

"There's a rumor, yeah…"

He reached out and took the paper from her, and replaced it with one of his homework page – one that he'd known he was going to need her help with.

"However, there are also rumors going around that I'm very good with babies, and that couldn't be less true. I could really use your help with this."

"If I help you with this will you help me with Jake when he's being cranky?"

"As long as I don't have to change diapers."

"We'll save that for Jack."

Ian smiled, and handed Sam his pen.

"Done."

She pushed the papers on the table a little more to the side, and settled a bit closer to him, stealing more of his bed so she could get comfortable.

"What do you need help with?"

OOOOOOOO

When Jack and Jaffer returned to the infirmary some time later, Jack headed to the curtained off area that hid Sam's bed, thinking she'd be there sleeping, or nursing Jacob, or maybe just cuddling him. Jaffer headed instantly to the other end of the infirmary, his nose telling him that Sam was behind the curtained off area of Ian's bed, instead.

Jack found Jacob soundly sleeping in his basinet, his little body warmly covered – although the infirmary was hardly chilly – and his thumb firmly in his mouth. He watched his son sleep for a long moment, resisting the urge to reach down and touch the little cheek or scoop him up and cuddle him. Time enough for that when he woke up, after all, and he didn't want to wake him when his momma wasn't there to nurse him in case he woke up hungry. Instead, he left, closing the curtained area behind him once more to keep the few soft noises in the infirmary from waking his son, and looked around for Sam – who couldn't be far away.

A passing corpsman knew immediately who he was looking for and pointed at the bed on the far end of the room, and Jack was aware that he could hear voices engaged in a conversation from behind the curtain. He headed that way; Sam's voice confirming her location and assuring him that Ian was awake so he wouldn't be disturbing him when he pulled back the curtain.

Sure enough, she and Ian were sitting side by side on Ian's bed, the teddy bear Cassie had given him smooshed between the two of them, working on something that sounded as complicated as it looked. Sprawled on the foot of the bed, looking as if he'd been there all day, was Jaffer, who wagged his tail cheerfully at Jack when he came in.

Ian and Sam both looked up at his arrival – although they weren't surprised by it, since Jaffer had given them plenty of warning that Jack was back.

"Whatcha doing?"

Sam smiled.

"_Complicated_ stuff. Want to help?"

"I'd rather try to nurse Jake."

Ian snickered.


	50. 50

Saturday was a fairly good day for Ian. Not only did Janet bring Cassie with her that morning when she came in to check on everything, but she also let Ian up on crutches, deciding that the swelling was down enough – because he'd stayed off it like she'd told him to – that he could check it out and see what kind of weight he could put on the leg.

It wasn't a hundred percent – truth be told, it probably wasn't even fifty percent – but it was an improvement over wheeling his ass to the bathroom every time he needed to go, and because of it, Ian was in a very good mood. Add to that the fact that Sam had helped him with all the tough homework the night before, and after she'd gone back to her side of the infirmary to join Jack (who hadn't stayed with them while they worked on their complicated papers) Ian had stayed up until the early morning hours finishing the essays and other work that wasn't all that hard, only time consuming.

"Hey super smart genius boyfriend."

He smiled at the familiar greeting, wondering why he put up with that from her when it would have been annoying from anyone else. Cassie had a big smile on her face, and a brown paper bag somewhat hidden behind her back. A paper bag that had something in it that smelled wonderful.

"Hi, Cassandra."

"You have a choice…"

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh yeah? What?"

"You can come to the commissary and have breakfast with me there…" She waited expectantly and he prompted her.

"Or…?"

"You can eat the breakfast _we_ brought you."

"What'd you bring?"

"Breakfast sandwiches."

"Ham?"

"Yup."

She knew what he liked.

Ian smiled.

"I'll take it."

"_Them_," she corrected. "There are three."

"I'll take them all. Unless one is for you."

She shook her head, handing the bag.

"I already had breakfast. But I will bring you some milk or juice – or both."

She knew he didn't drink coffee unless it was all that was available.

"You don't have to do that."

She shrugged.

"I know. Which do you want?"

"Both."

"If you give me a kiss, I might even consider bringing you _chocolate_ milk…"

He reached out, taking her hand and pulling her closer so he could do just that, pressing his lips gently against her own for tender moment that belonged to just the two of them. Then he broke it, knowing Janet wouldn't approve of them necking in her infirmary, and smiled.

"I'll have _regular_ milk, but thanks for the kiss."

She whacked him on the shoulder, grinning.

"You get started on that, and I'll be right back."

"Thanks, Cassandra."

OOOOOOOOO

By the time she returned, Ian had already finished the first of the sandwiches. They were great, as he'd known they would be, and he was hungry – as Cassie had known he would be. She handed over the beverages, keeping a bottle of juice for herself, and then drank it while she kept him company as he ate, because she knew he wouldn't mind having her there, and she really just couldn't stay away if she didn't have to.

"Sam told me that they asked you to be Jake's godfather," Cassie said as Ian unwrapped the second sandwich.

He nodded.

"I told them I wouldn't be the nanny, so they probably just figured it was the next best thing."

She smiled at that.

"You could be like Marlon Brando in the movie… talking all low and unintelligible."

"I haven't seen the movie," he admitted, knowing full well what was coming next. Sure enough, she looked amazed.

"You haven't seen the Godfather?"

He scowled. It wasn't like that made him some kind of freak or something – he bet lots of people hadn't seen the Godfather. He wasn't mad at her, though, of course, and she knew it, even though he scowled. Had he been mad, his next words would have been defensive.

"Nope."

"I have it. It's great."

He nodded.

"That's what I've heard."

"I could bring it in and we could watch it," she offered. "If you want."

He didn't care if she did or not. He just wanted to spend time with her. But it was as good a reason as any to have her close by, and one that would also kill some time – which he had plenty of.

"Sounds great."

OOOOOOO

So that was how he spent his Saturday. Cassie talked Jack into driving her home so she could pick up the Godfather – along with several other DVDs in case Ian wanted to watch them as well – and then she'd had one of the orderlies pull in a TV on a tall cart so she could put it at the foot of Ian's bed.

The rest of the day was movie day on one end of the infirmary, with Ian's bed being the center of things. Jaffer spent most of the early afternoon at the foot of Ian's bed, chewing on a rawhide bone the size of Ian's forearm and keeping the cadet's feet warm, Cassie spent most of it cuddling his bear and lounging next to him, Sam brought Jacob over for a couple of visits as the day went by, Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and even Sally stopped in to visit and see what they were watching or to watch a favorite scene. All in all, the day went far quicker than he'd expected it to go when he'd originally been told he was going to be kept in the infirmary, and Ian knew that Cassie was the reason for that.

By the time Janet was ready to go home for the day – and take Cassie with her – he'd decided once again that he was a pretty lucky guy. He had a long boring evening ahead of him, but the day had been great.


	51. 51

For a genius, Ian wasn't much for thinking ahead. Had he been, he might not have finished his homework quite so quickly, or used up most of the legos on that one single spaceship – impressive though it might be. Once Cassie had left with Janet (right after dinner) and Jack and Sam had vanished behind the curtain that surrounded Sam's bed to spend a little quite time with their son, Ian found himself with absolutely nothing to do and no one to do it with.

Cassie had taken the movies home with her, the TV and DVD player had been returned whence they'd come, the medical staff was down to bare bones since it was a weekend evening with no critical patients, no teams offworld that might have a medical emergency, and no reason to hang out if they didn't need to. Daniel had gone home with Sally, Teal'c was off meditating, and even Jaffer had abandoned him to spend time with Jack and Sam.

Which was all well and good for a chance to bond with Jake, but it did nothing for Ian, who sprawled in his bed and did word problems in his head to keep himself occupied for a while. The problem with that was that he'd heard all the answers before, which didn't make them very difficult. He finally gave up, and stared up at the ceiling, his good mood from the morning turning rather gloomy as his mind wandered inevitably back to the last few days. And especially the time he'd spent with Seterios.

As always, his mind had no problem showing him exactly what had happened, over and over, starting with how he'd woken to the kicking Jaffa, and finishing with a slashed throat and blood literally gushing all over him, smearing his hands and clothing with crimson. If he concentrated, he could even remember exactly how the slash had opened in the throat… which was gruesome, but something he couldn't get out of his mind.

The longer he thought about it, certain that he'd done things completely wrong, the more bleak his mood became, and the more he doubted himself. Normally self-assured and incredibly cocky, Ian did have a few issues when it came to doubting himself in situations he'd never faced before – and this definitely qualified. Not so much because of the danger he'd been in, but because of the danger his actions had undoubtedly put Sam in, and the fact that he'd killed a man to escape – and probably hadn't needed to. Even worse (in Ian's opinion) he'd done it without warning, killing Seteros without even giving the guy a chance – although he reminded himself continually that the guy was a _Goa'uld_. It didn't help, though. In Ian's opinion, it had been murder, plain and simple, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Finally, realizing that he wasn't doing himself any good brooding in bed, Ian decided to get up and move. Maybe a change of scenery was what he needed. Since he wasn't confined to his bed – and Fraiser wasn't there to enforce it even if he was – Ian reached for his crutches.

Maybe a midnight snack.

OOOOOOOO

Neither of them were asleep. They weren't used to having so much downtime – not with them both healthy, anyways – and they weren't using much energy sitting around all day cuddling Jacob. It wasn't difficult work – not with so many willing hands to help them – but it was, of course, important to be with the infant and develop that bond with him.

Both heard the unmistakable sound of Ian passing the bed; the thunk of his crutches was unsteady since he wasn't all that good with those things – and both of them assumed that he was heading off to the bathroom. When a good half-hour passed, though, and neither of them heard him return, Sam looked over at Jack; Jacob nestled gently against her, asleep and drooling on her neck.

"You want to go check on him?"

Jack nodded, and carefully slid out of bed. The only thing that had stopped him from going sooner was Sam being next to him, and since she'd noticed he hadn't returned too, he didn't feel guilty for abandoning her for a little bit to go make sure Ian hadn't fallen and cracked his head open or something.

"I'll be right back."

She smiled and nodded, tilting her head so he could kiss her.

OOOOOOOO

He didn't find Ian on the floor of the men's room. He didn't find him on the floor of the corridors on the way there, either. That was a relief, but added to Jack's concern about not being able to find him. There weren't really a lot of places the cadet could go, though.

Sam's lab was always open to him, but Ian only went there if Sam was there, because he always felt like he was trespassing into her personal space. Jack's office was the same way – Jack secretly hoped that Ian would sneak in there some day and do his paperwork for him – but Ian rarely went in there, either. Aside from that, there was the gym – which was off limits to Ian with his knee injured – and there was the commissary. Jack headed to the commissary.

Which was exactly where he found Ian.

The cadet was sitting at a table alone (there wasn't anyone else in the room anyways, so sitting alone was the only option he had) and was nursing a cup of coffee. Jack leaned against the door of the room, watching him for a minute and debating whether he looked like he wanted company or if he'd gone into the room to be alone. The troubled look in Ian's expression, however, was enough to decide him, and O'Neill walked over, making sure to make enough noise that he didn't startle Ian.

Sure enough, Ian looked up at him when he came up to the table.

"Hey," Jack said, his hand resting on the top of the chair he was standing in front of.

"Hi."

"Leg bothering you?"

He shook his head, looking down into his coffee.

"Conscious?"

Ian looked up, surprised, and Jack knew his guess had been correct. He knew the kid too well, and knew the circumstances of the last couple of days. Jack had a fair idea of what was bothering Ian once he'd assured himself that it wasn't the injury.

He sat down without asking for permission, and watched Ian for a long moment without saying anything, knowing that he'd start the conversation when he was ready.

"I've never killed anyone before…"

Jack nodded.

"I know."

"I don't know how to feel, Jack…" Ian said, looking up at him. "I-"

"You did what you _had_ to do, Ian," Jack told him, meaning it. "You were in a new situation – a _dangerous_ situation – and I don't know if you understand just how dangerous it was. You don't know how fast a Goa'uld can switch hosts. If you hadn't killed him – and _quickly_ – the symbiote could just as easily taken you as host – or Sam."

Ian blanched at that thought, and Jack felt just as sick at the idea. But he continued, his voice steady because he knew it had to be.

"You reacted like you were trained to – like Bra'tac and Teal'c have been teaching you. And because of that you saved your life, and Sam's, and Jake's."

"It was…"

"You killed a _Goa'uld_, Ian," Jack interrupted. "A Goa'uld that would have killed you without blinking, and wouldn't have thought twice about torturing you – _and Sam_ – until he had you doing what he wanted to. I for one, definitely prefer this scenario, and I'm not going to say that _you_ should be glad he's dead, but _I_ _am_ glad, because I know better than you what might have happened. I'd rather it was him than you – and _that_ was the choice, son, whether you believe it or not."

Ian was silent for a long time, but once more Jack didn't say anything, giving the boy time to think things through. That was definitely one of the disadvantages to being as smart as Ian was, Jack knew. He was always thinking – and probably couldn't have turned his brain off if he wanted to – but he was also intelligent, and Jack knew that Ian would eventually come to the realization that Jack was right.

"You mean that?" Ian finally asked, his dark eyes meeting Jack's.

O'Neill nodded.

"You can't overthink this, Ian, or it's going to drive you crazy – and worse, it'll make you hesitate next time. Which could get you killed. It's done. You're alive. Sam's alive, and the rest of us are glad for that."

Ian nodded, and Jack could see that his eyes weren't quite as troubled as they had been. That was good. O'Neill didn't mind that Ian was having trouble with what had happened; if he had taken to killing easily, _that_ would have worried Jack. As it was, he was just showing the signs of his humanity, and there was nothing wrong with that. It was what separated them from the Goa'uld, after all.

He stood up, knowing that Ian would want to be alone.

"Sam's waiting for me, so I'd better go… but if you want to talk, you know where to find me."

Ian nodded, but didn't make any move to get up, too. He felt a bit better, but he wanted to sit and think about what Jack had told him. And he didn't want to do it in bed.

"Thanks, Jack…"

Jack nodded.

"Don't stay too late, okay? Fraiser will find out, and curb your nighttime wanderings."

Ian gave him a slight smile, and nodded again.

Jack smiled, and headed for the door. It was a conversation _Nate_ probably should have had with his son, but since Nate wasn't there, and couldn't know the circumstances, Jack was more than willing to take his place.


	52. 52

"Are you _nuts_?"

Jack grinned.

"Come on, Ian… it's only going to be for a few hours…"

"Jack…"

"You're his _Godfather_…"

"Yeah, but not his nanny."

"He won't be any trouble."

"He's 3 days old, and all he's done is been trouble since the _beginning_…"

Sam came over right about then, looking down at Ian, who was lounging in his bed with his leg stuck out in front of him and then at Jack who standing beside the bed.

"What's going on?"

"Ian's afraid of Jake."

Ian scowled.

"No, I'm not."

She smiled.

"You won't watch him for us?"

Ian squirmed. The way she said it made it sound like he was mean and heartless. It wasn't that he didn't want to watch him while the two of them went out and got some fresh air – Jacob couldn't come because Janet wasn't ready to allow him out into the cold fresh March days just yet – he just…

"He's awfully little, Sam. What if something happened?"

"Janet will be here."

"She could watch him."

"She has paperwork to catch up on," Jack said.

"It's okay, Ian," Sam said, brushing her hand along his shoulder. "You don't have to watch him. Jack and I can go a different time."

Now he felt like dog shit. She'd been stuck inside as many days as he had, and he knew that she wanted to go out and get some fresh air – and maybe go get something to eat that didn't have to be brought to her by an orderly. From what Cassie had said when she'd come in to visit him earlier that morning, it was a beautiful day, and a sure sign that spring was coming. And Janet still wouldn't risk allowing him to travel on his knee. Or maybe she figured if he left, she'd never get him back inside.

He gave a purely mental sigh.

"Nah… I'll watch him, Sam… You can go ahead and go."

She shook her head, knowing that she'd made him feel guilty and hadn't intended to.

"It's okay, Ian," she repeated. "I can wait."

"Nah. You don't need to. He's just a little kid, right? Probably he'll sleep all the time you're gone, anyways. Go get some fresh air with Jack and Jaffer. I'll keep an eye on him until you get back."

She hesitated, uncertain. Ian didn't know that there was more to it than her just wanting some fresh air; she and Jack were going shopping, but she didn't want to guilt trip him into doing something he didn't want to do – and she knew she just had. He waved her away, making shooing motions with his hands.

"Go on, before he wakes up wanting fed – because I'm _not_ doing that."

She smiled.

"I just fed him. Janet said he'll be fine for a few hours – most preemies aren't even with their parents at this stage of their lives."

Ian nodded.

"You'd better get going then."

Jack smiled, but Sam was suddenly a little reluctant to leave. It would, after all, be her first time away from Jacob, and he _was_ only a few days old, and nowhere near ready to be away from his mother, yet. What if he woke up hungry? Or crying? Or what if she-

"Sam?"

Jack's voice was slightly concerned, and she jerked out of her worried thoughts abruptly, looking at him and then at Ian. Both of them looked concerned.

"You okay?" Jack asked, reaching out and touching her arm.

She nodded, feeling stupid. She was just being dumb. Jacob wasn't going to wake up needing her. He was asleep and showed every sign of staying asleep for a while.

"I'm fine, sorry."

She was, too, because now they both looked so worried about her.

"We don't have to go…" Jack said, reading her expression perfectly.

She shook her head.

"It's okay," she said, forcing a slight smile. "I want to. Jake will be fine with Ian."

"And _Janet_," Ian reminded her.

"And Janet."

"And about fifty other doctors and nurses," Jack said, gesturing around the room. For a Sunday morning, it was actually fairly busy – apparently there was some kind of deadline coming up for an inspection readiness thing, and Janet had pulled all her medical staff in to review procedures with them. They would all still be there when Jack and Sam returned from their excursion. Jacob couldn't be in better hands – except for his parents', of course.

"I'll go get him," Jack said, giving her a gentle touch as he walked past and headed towards the other end of the room.

"You're sure you don't mind?"

Ian shook his head, feeling a little more confident. After all, there were about 50 doctors and nurses in the room – okay, he'd seen _ten_ total all day, but that was still a lot of back up.

"I'm his Godfather, right? That's my job; watching him when mom and dad need a break, beating up people who pick on him, teaching him dirty jokes…"

"No dirty jokes," Sam said, smiling. "What if he remembers them once he learns to talk?"

"_Clean_ jokes, then," Ian promised as Jack wheeled the basinet carefully down the center of the aisle. Sure enough, Jacob was sound asleep in the middle of it, his thumb tucked securely in his mouth and his eyes closed. He looked peaceful enough. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, eh?

Sam smiled when she looked down at her son, and Ian couldn't help but echo that smile. She looked _so_ much like a mother just then. Apparently that look wasn't something you had to be taught once you had a kid; it was natural, because it made him feel gooey inside and she wasn't even his mom.

"You guys better get going."

Jack nodded, looking at Sam.

"Yeah?"

She nodded, too, and leaned over and brushed a kiss against Ian's forehead.

"Thanks, Ian. We won't be gone long."

He could feel his face heating up and knew he was blushing brilliantly.

"You're welcome. Just get back before he needs to be changed, okay? Please?"

She smiled, resisting the urge to kiss Jacob as well – because she definitely didn't want him to wake up and see mommy leaving him.

"We'll try."


	53. 53

"Don't wake up. Don't wake up. Don't wake-"

"What are you doing?"

Ian jerked his head around from where he'd been watching Jacob sleeping in the basinet and saw Fraiser had come up to his bedside without him noticing. Of course, since his entire attention had been on the baby, that wasn't such a surprise.

"Shhh…" he whispered with a scowl. "You'll wake him up."

She smiled, truly amused.

"You been telling him to stay asleep for the last hour?"

"It's been working…" he said, defensively.

Janet shook her head, wondering how someone so intelligent could be so naive.

"Or… it could be that he's just… _sleepy_…?"

He scowled again.

"Whatever works. I just want him to stay asleep."

"Don't worry, Ian. Preemies sleep a lot. Chances are he'll sleep right through until Sam-"

And then it happened. One of the orderlies who had been given the responsibility of clearing out and inventorying one of the cupboards close by Ian's bed accidentally dropped the clipboard he'd been using. Had it landed on a bed, it would have been fine. Had it landed on its side, it probably still would have been okay. Instead, it landed flat n the concrete floor of the infirmary, and with so much surface hitting all at once, it slapped down with a noise that sounded as loud as a gunshot in the quite infirmary, surprising everyone.

And waking one sleeping baby in an instant.

Startled from whatever peaceful dream he'd been having by the loudest noise he'd ever heard in his young life, Jacob George O'Neill woke with a gasp, eyes opening. Even as Ian and Janet turned toward the noise of the clipboard falling, Jake was already reacting to being woken so abruptly, and his wail of surprise and discomfort echoed through the infirmary.

"Shit."

Ian threw a dirty look at the orderly, and then looked over at Jacob, who was already in a full-fledged fit. He didn't like loud noises! And he was wet – which was uncomfortable. He screamed again, and Janet reached down and picked him up, cuddling him close.

"Easy, baby…"

Jake howled again, and Janet smiled as she looked between Ian and Jacob. The baby was crying, but Ian looked almost as scared. Well, not scared. _Nervous_ would be a better word, she decided.

"Relax, Ian," she said, her hand rubbing Jacob's tiny body gently, trying to soothe him. "Babies cry, you know…"

How the hell would he know? He'd only been around one.

"Sure."

He didn't lose the wild look, though, and Janet couldn't help herself.

"Want to hold him?"

"No."

Jacob screamed again, and Janet smiled down at him.

"Poor baby… such a lousy way to wake up… and now mean old Ian doesn't want anything to do with you…"

The words weren't what mattered, though, it was the tone she used, which was soothing and calm in the light of the tantrum the infant was throwing. Of course, he was only a few days old, so it was hardly malicious, but Janet wondered idly if it was an example of Jake inheriting his father's quick temper and showing it off so soon.

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't want _anything_ to do with him…" Ian said, defensively. "I just don't want to hold him."

She tucked Jake's head under her chin.

"Do you want to change him?"

"No."

"That's pretty much all there is to do with him, right now, you know?"

Ian scowled.

"Fine. Give him here."

She smiled and shook her head.

"Hold on a second, and we'll change him, too."

Without losing her grip on him – showing far more competence with infants than Ian would have given her credit for, considering she'd never had one of her own – Janet managed to strip Jake's wet diaper off and set it on the table next to the other bed. Then she handed him to Ian, who, startled, took him, holding him as far away as he could and wishing his arms were even longer.

"Cuddle him, Ian."

"He's _naked_. What if-" A stream of urine splattered the front of Ian's t-shirt as Jacob peed on him. "He pees on me…" Ian finished, looking down at his stomach – which had taken the majority of the wetness.

Jake hiccupped, literally stopping in mid-scream when he felt Ian take hold of him and looking at him in wide-eyed innocence as he finished wizzing on his godfather, and Ian sighed, ignoring Janet's amused laughter.

"Be grateful it's just _urine_," she told him. "Now, _cuddle_ him. You can hurt him holding him like that."

Ian pulled Jake close, cuddling the tiny naked body close to his chest – which was dryer than his belly – and the infant grabbed a handful of skin on his neck, holding him tight.

"I'll get him a diaper, and you a clean shirt," Janet said, hesitating only long enough to make sure Ian wasn't going to accidentally drop the baby or something, and then heading for the other side of the room.

Ian sighed, ignoring the fact that Jake was actually grabbing a _lot_ of skin, and ran his hand soothingly along the tiny back – leaning backwards against his pillows so he wouldn't have to put a hand under the little butt to support him. He hadn't missed the only urine thing, and definitely didn't ant to catch whatever other present Jake might want to be presenting him.

"You and I are going to have to have a talk about this whole crying shit," Ian told his godson, his voice gentle, and the vibrations in his throat rumbling against Jake's cheek and hand. "You keep that up and everyone's going to think you're the grumpiest baby in the world, and we both know that you're not… right?"

Jake started gnawing on Ian's neck.

One of the nurses – the one that Ian had asked to help him hit River over the head – came up to the two of them, smiling to see naked baby chewing on Ian's neck and the resigned look in Ian's dark eyes. River would have instantly taken advantage of the situation, more than willing to use Jacob as a babe magnet. Ian, on the other hand, was more concerned with keeping the suddenly wriggly baby in one spot.

"Makes you want to have one of your own, doesn't it?" she asked with a tender smile.

He scowled, and shook his head.

"It makes me think I should get fixed."


	54. 54

By the time Jack and Sam returned, Ian's entire body ached from tension, and Jacob was sound asleep under his chin, a steady trail of drool trickling down Ian's neck and under the clean t-shirt Janet had brought him to change into. Sam smiled as she came over, looking as if she'd had a wonderful time away, but definitely glad to be back – considering the way she was watching Jacob.

Ian was happier than she was, though, there was no doubt. He smiled gratefully when she walked up.

"Hey."

"Hi."

She smiled at the way Jake was tucked up under his chin, the little body so relaxed it looked like he was made out of jello covered in skin.

"He woke up?"

"Oh yeah."

"Was he a hassle?"

Ian scowled. Sam smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Nah," Ian shrugged, although he was careful to hold on to Jacob while he did it.

"But you're glad to see me aren't you?"

"Oh, yes."

She reached out and carefully pulled Jacob off Ian, smiling at the trail of drool leading from her son's chin to Ian's neck, and noticing a fairly dark bruise on his neck.

Jacob woke up as he felt himself moved, and opened his eyes, looking around. Before he could start fussing, though, Sam cuddled him close to her, crooning softly to him. Comforted by her voice or touch – or both – Jacob fell back to sleep, and Ian stretched muscles that had been still – and tense for far too long.

"_Nice_ hickey."

Ian tried to look at his neck, but since his head just didn't turn like that, he didn't know just how nice it was – although he had a fair idea of how he'd gotten it.

"Jake was holding my neck."

"He has a good grip," Sam agreed.

"Hey."

They both turned and watched Jack coming over, with Jaffer by his side and a large bag in his hand.

"How's my favorite 3 day old? Wow, nice hickey! What have you and my son been up to?"

Ian scowled.

"He grabbed me…"

"Of _course_ he did."

"He did."

Jack smiled, and dropped the bag in Ian's lap.

"Fine. For being such a good babysitter and letting him have his way with you, here's some lunch."

Ian opened the bag and found several burgers and a large order of fries, and he grinned. Maybe it was worth being gummed and drooled on all morning. Although they were going to have to do a lot better than that to make up for him getting pissed on.

"Thanks."

"How was he?"

"A perfect _angel_…"

Jack's eyes glinted in good humor at the sarcasm in his voice.

"Not so much, huh?"

"He was okay."

"You didn't drop him did you?"

"Of course not."

"Did you change him?"

"No. I saved that for you. Merry Christmas."

"Smart ass."

Ian smiled, wiping the drool off his neck with the bottom of his short, and then pulling out the food and setting it on the bag, which he put in his lap.

"Did you guys find whatever it was you were looking for?" He asked curiously.

Sam smiled.

"Yup. We needed some baby stuff, still… especially clothes, since we weren't _both_ positive what sex the baby was going to be."

She, of course, had been, but she didn't need to tell Jack she was right. Again. They all knew it.

"Did you get everything you needed?"

"Most of it," Jack replied. "Some odds and ends can wait, but the big stuff we _had_ to get – especially since Fraiser's letting us go home tomorrow."

Which really meant that Janet was allowing _Jacob_ to go home tomorrow – Sam was already cleared, and Jack never had been a prisoner – er _patient_ – of hers. Ian was pretty much hoping that he was going to be allowed to leave the next morning as well – although he wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do for the next three weeks to a month. Which was how long Jack had told him he was going to take off – and SG-1 was going to be on downtime.

That was something he'd have to find out, he supposed.

"Well, good."

"How was the trip?"

Janet had come up behind them while they'd been talking, and smiled at Sam.

"It was good."

"But you rushed back here as soon as you could…"

She hesitated, looking at Ian and giving him an apologetic smile.

"Maybe not rushed…" Sam said. "But I was a little anxious to-"

"It's okay, Sam," Ian told her, sincerely. "I'm glad you hurried back, really."

"Before Jake had a chance to pee on him again," Janet said, smiling.

Ian scowled.

Jack grinned.

"He peed on you?"

"She handed him to me naked – of _course_ he peed on me. I think the two of them planned it. I was just glad he didn't take a shi-"

"_Hey_," Jack interrupted. "No swearing in front of Jake, damn it."

Sam and Janet exchanged an amused look, and Sam shook her head.

"Thanks for watching him, Ian. Is there anything you need?"

He shook his head. All _he_ needed was a shower – which he was going to go take the minute Fraiser left for the day. He wasn't positive she'd allow it while she was there, but once she was gone, he'd head out of the infirmary – presumably to go get something to eat at the infirmary or something – and sneak off to the locker room. Better to get forgiveness than permission, after all. At least, most of the time.

And he was pretty certain this was one of them.


	55. 55

"Can you bend it?"

Ian frowned, holding back the wince of pain as he bent his leg, the knee feeling stiff and painful but hardly crippled. Janet nodded, her hands pressing against either side of the injured knee as he moved it, feeling for the motion of the ligaments and the tendons to make sure there wasn't anything out of order.

Her hands were on his leg, but her eyes were on his, watching for any sign of serious pain. And she was satisfied with what she saw – and felt.

"Good. How does it feel?"

"Fine."

Well, she knew it wasn't _fine_. But she also knew it wasn't debilitating, so she let it slide. The bruises were yellowing a bit, now – as were the ones on his ribs – and she knew that he needed a chance to be up and on his feet to work out the stiffness of the leg in order to finish off the recovery. From what she could feel and see, she was pretty certain that he wasn't going to need any physical therapy. His own need for physical activity would give him all he needed.

"Keep the brace on for another few days – especially once you start jogging again – and use either a crutch or a cane if you feel you can't put too much weight on the leg, okay?"

Since he was more than willing to agree to anything in order for her to let him out of the infirmary, Ian nodded.

Satisfied, Janet smiled, and made a couple of notations on his chart.

"You're cleared to leave, Cadet."

His smile was mixed relief and cheerfulness.

"Thanks, Doctor Fraiser."

"You're welcome."

OOOOOOOOO

While Ian dressed for freedom, Janet walked over to the other side of the infirmary, smiling again when she saw the large form of Doctor Ali once more checking out young Jake O'Neill, under the watchful eye of both parents, and Jaffer – who was sitting on the bed beside Sam, his eyes on the baby in the doctor's large hands. The big doctor had come to give the preemie a last check up before allowing him to go home, as well, and he was being just as thorough as Janet had been with Ian.

When Janet approached, the doctor had Jacob in his hand, belly down and running his free hand gently along his little back and butt, nothing but smiles as he kept a running commentary going with Jack and Sam, telling them exactly what he was looking for as he examined their son.

"How are things going?" Janet asked when she came over.

"He's perfect," Ali answered, giving Janet a warm smile. "I honestly can't believe just how healthy he is – but he's already gained almost a pound, and there's nothing to make me think he won't keep gaining weight if he's allowed to go home."

"Clean bill of health?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I'll want to see him weekly, though, for the next month or so – just to make sure. But there's no reason you two can't bring him to me next time – he doesn't need house calls."

Jack nodded. Like Ian, he was eager to get out of the infirmary, and anxious to get his wife and their new son home where they could have a little time for just the four of them for a while.

"Thank you, Doctor."

Ali nodded, smiling as he handed Jacob over to Sam.

"You're welcome. I love giving good news."

OOOOOOOOOO

While Sam – with some help from Janet - readied Jacob for his first trip home, Jack and Ian were attending a meeting with Hammond, Daniel and Teal'c in the briefing room. Ian had walked there on his own – limped there, really – with Jack hovering anxiously close by as he did so.

"Jacob's been cleared to go home?" Hammond asked.

Jack nodded.

"Sam's getting him bundled up now."

Hammond turned to Ian.

"You're cleared as healthy?"

The Cadet nodded.

"I have to wear the brace a little while longer, but Doctor Fraiser didn't put any other restrictions on me."

"That's because for the next three weeks, SG-1 is on stand down while Colonel O'Neill takes some personal leave to get things settled at home," Hammond said. "This includes you, Ian." Hammond had already had a couple of conversations about Ian – with Janet, and with the Commandant at the Air Force Academy. "For the next three weeks, you're on vacation."

Ian wasn't surprised by this. He knew that Daniel was going to take advantage of the time off to take a long vacation with Sally to Egypt to work on an archeological dig with an old colleague of his, and that Teal'c was going to head offworld to spend time with his kid – who Ian hadn't met yet, but wanted to eventually. He just wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do while he was on vacation.

Hammond, however, wasn't finished.

"Doctor Fraiser has expressed some concern with the fact that you've lost some weight since joining the SGC, and truth be told, I agree with her that you're looking tired. In light of that, I want you to spend your vacation relaxing. Do whatever you want to do – as long as you keep your nose clean – but take some time to enjoy yourself. You're excused from your assignments with the Academy for the duration – your instructors tell me you're far enough ahead that it's not going to do you any harm at all to take time off from that as well – so relax and enjoy your free time. Who knows when you'll get more?"

Ian nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

He wasn't sure what he'd do with himself, but maybe he'd lounge around the apartment and veg – for a while at least.

Hammond looked at Jack, who looked more than satisfied with the assignment, and then at the others.

"Anything we need to talk about before you all go?"

"No, Sir."

Daniel and Teal'c both shook their heads as well.

"Dismissed, and I'll see you all in a few weeks."

Of course, he'd probably see Jack sooner than that, since he'd sneak over and see the baby at least once in that time.

Hammond got up and went into his office, and the rest of them stood up as well – Ian a little slower than the rest. Before he could wander off, though, Jack intercepted him.

"Hey… come with me, Ian. Sam and I want to have another talk with you before we let you go."

He nodded.

"Sure, Jack."


	56. 56

"What's up, Jack?" Ian asked, curiously, limping beside the Colonel, who slowed his pace to keep from forcing Ian to strain his leg to keep up.

Jack smiled.

"It's a surprise."

"Yeah? For Sam?"

"Nope."

"Well… I doubt _Jake's_ going to be too surprised about pretty much anything…"

"It's not for Jake, either, Ian. Just hush and try not to fall on your face before we meet up with Sam, okay?"

Which would definitely give Janet a reason to second-guess her decision to release Ian from her care.

Ian scowled, but he didn't say anything else as they walked down to the infirmary and headed through the door. Sam was there; complete with one bundled up baby in his blue Air Force Academy sweatshirt. He looked so cute, even _Ian_ had to smile.

"All set?" Sam asked, giving Ian a welcoming smile as they entered, and handing the baby-carrier thing (what are those called?) to Jack.

"Yup," Jack told her, taking it. "Three weeks of vacation." He gave Ian a pointed look. "For _all_ of us."

Ian shrugged.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with myself," he admitted. He hadn't ever had three weeks all to himself. Not without having someone – usually his mother, since this was actually his first year out of the nest so to speak – to do things with or keep him company or tell him what needed to be done. He'd never had a long period of time with no responsibility. Not since he was young.

Sam smiled.

"You'll think of something, I'm sure."

He shrugged again, looking at the lego ship that Sam had put in Janet's office for safe keeping until they decided what to do with it. It was far too interesting to let him destroy it, she'd said.

"I guess I could discover a new hobby."

She laughed, and shifted Jake in her arms, looking at Jack.

"Are we ready to go?"

He nodded.

"Come on, Ian. You can walk us out."

"But what about-"

"Come on."

Smiling, Jack turned and headed for the door, waving a goodbye to Janet, who had already had her final words with Sam, reminding her – again – that if she had any questions or concerns to call.

Ian and Sam followed, Sam frowning at how pronounced Ian's limp was, although she'd been assured that he was fine. Young and healthy, he just needed a chance to work the kinks out. At least that was what Janet had said – and who'd know better?

By the time they'd made it to the surface, Ian's limp was even worse – although he was obviously trying to either hide it or ignore it.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, worried despite all the reassurances.

He nodded, though, as they passed the final checkpoint, pausing only long enough for a couple of the Marines to check out the new baby – since they hadn't wanted to invade her privacy and go down to the infirmary and check the baby out down there.

"I'm fine, Sam… it just needs to be worked a bit."

"Well, don't work it too much, okay?" She asked as they walked outside, Jaffer and Jack leading the way to the truck, which was parked in its normal spot. He put the baby-carrier thing in the back of the truck, and opened the driver's door, letting Jaffer jump up into the truck and take his customary spot in the passenger seat. Then he reached over, and pulled something out of the panel between the two seats and closed the door, returning to Sam and Ian.

"Here," Jack told him, handing the envelope over to Ian, who took it automatically.

"What's this?"

"A thank you and Birthday present from me, Sam and Jake."

Ian smiled.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"We didn't."

Ian frowned, not even trying to hide his confusion.

"Then what's this?"

"Open it," Sam told him with a smile, cuddling Jake, who wasn't so sure he liked the bright sunshine any more than he liked having clipboards falling on the floor and waking him up. So far, though, he hadn't started crying – although it was obvious he was thinking about it.

He did what she told him, opening the envelope and pulling out a piece of paper.

"This is the title to Sam's car," he said, confused.

She shook her head, still smiling.

"That's the title to _your_ car," she said. "I'm a _mother_ now, and Jack and I were talking about it. It'd be too much of a hassle to get a car seat in and out of the back of the convertible. I needed a four-door car, and so we went and found me one."

She pointed to a brand new shiny Dodge sedan that was parked on the other side of the convertible.

"But-"

"No buts," Jack told him, smiling. "We decided that you needed a car – and we want you to have that one."

Ian shook his head.

"You don't owe me anything, Jack… neither of you. I-"

"We owe you _everything_," Sam told him before Jack could say anything. "But this is the only thing we could think of that we knew you'd like – you're very hard to buy for, you know?"

He nodded, dumbly.

"My mom's complained about that…"

Sam nodded, too.

"I know." She handed Jake over to Jack, and drew Ian into a hug, holding him close for a long time, and he knew she was fighting back tears. He hugged her back, shaking his head. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to convince either of them that they shouldn't give him the car, and knew Sam would ask him and he'd end up saying yes, anyways.

"I don't know what to say…"

"Just say, 'thank you and I promise not to speed.'"

"Thank you."

She smiled and pulled back from him, and sure enough, her eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"You forgot the speeding part…"

Ian looked down at the title of the car – _his_ car – and then over at the convertible.

"I didn't forget."

Jack chuckled.

"Just be careful. Understand? That's an order."

"Yes, Sir."


	57. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

"Wow…"

Jack looked up from cuddling Jake, followed Sam's gaze, and saw that Ian had entered the commissary. The young man stopped at the doorway to look around, saw Jack, Sam and Daniel all sitting together and made a beeline their direction.

"His limp's gone," Daniel noticed.

"He looks wonderful," Sam said.

He did, too. The three weeks off had obviously done him good, because Ian looked relaxed and refreshed, and when he came closer, Sam saw that he also looked a bit less gaunt, as well. Which meant he'd probably managed to gain a few pounds – although none of it was fat.

He stopped at the table, giving them a rare smile – although not so rare for _them_, just everyone else.

"Good morning."

"Hi, Ian," Sam said, gesturing to the spot across from her – beside Daniel. "Have a seat."

He did as he was told, looking over at Daniel as he did.

"Wow. You look… _red_…"

Sam snickered. Daniel had spent his vacation in Egypt, and had come home sunburned and peeling.

"Have him take off his glasses," she suggested.

Daniel scowled.

"It was _hot_."

"And there was no suntan lotion?" Jack asked.

"I _used_ it."

"Did you have a good time?" Ian asked, wondering how bad he looked without his glasses on. Probably they were outlined in white on Daniel's face, and he had to actually suppress the urge to reach over and pull them off.

"It was incredible," Daniel said, smiling. He so rarely actually had a chance to go on an archeological dig any more. Certainly not for the simple pleasure of wanting to learn about the people they were digging up. Now days, it was a matter of life or death it seemed; find out who these people were so we can figure out what they knew that we can use to fight the Goa'uld. It was far more appealing – and relaxing – to simply be digging for the sheer love of finding new things. "How about you?"

Ian scowled.

"Before or after the three feet of snow that got dumped on us?"

Jack smiled.

"It's _Colorado_, Ian. We get snow in March. Hasn't anyone told-"

"It was sunny and 70 in New York yesterday."

"Did you fly home?" Daniel asked.

Ian shook his head, ignoring Jack's amused snort.

"I was just getting ready to go on a road trip, when the blizzard from hell struck and snowed me in…"

"He was going to take Shawn and River to California for their Spring Break," Sam explained. "But it snowed, and River and Shawn decided to fly out, instead."

"You didn't go with them?" He asked Ian.

"No. I decided there was plenty I could do here, instead."

"Like…?"

Ian scowled.

"Stuff."

"Uh huh."

Meaning he hadn't wanted to fly. Especially in the middle of a blizzard.

"So you spent your vacation with Cassie, then?" Daniel asked, when it was obvious that Ian wasn't going to add anything more to the conversation.

Ian scowled again.

"No, she flew to Maryland with Doctor Fraiser to check out Johns Hopkins."

"Oh."

It was no secret that Cassie had already been accepted to the University the next fall, or that Cassie had every intention of becoming a doctor. With her grades and her mother's influence in the medical field, there was no way she wouldn't have been accepted, really. All that had made her hesitate was her relationship with Ian and the fact that she didn't want to go away for school.

But when she'd brought that up, he'd reminded her that he was going to be at the Academy the next year and wouldn't have nearly the freedom that he did, now. He'd see her on vacations and they'd be able to keep in touch. And he'd kissed her soundly, reminding her that he wasn't going to go looking for some floosie while she was gone. He'd wait. She'd wait. And it would make the summers that much sweeter for the waiting.

Besides, they still had the rest of this school year and the summer before they separated, and they could make the most of it. And _had_ managed to spend a little time together before she'd left.

At _his_ place. Since every time he went to hers, Janet was always watching him walk to make sure he was still on the road to recovery – even though the limp had been gone after only a few days – and that got annoying almost immediately.

"They should be back today."

"So what _did_ you do on your vacation?" Jack asked.

Unlike Ian, he and Sam both looked tired and weary – although they'd never been happier. Jacob was a handful for them, but he was doted on by both parents – and Jaffer – who certainly didn't grudge the lack of sleep they were experiencing.

"Nothing," Ian said, truthfully. "I spent some time in the gym and worked out."

"You look good," Sam said.

He blushed a little, and changed the subject immediately – as he usually did.

"Jake looks like he's gained fifty pounds."

"_Eight_," Jack said, handing the baby over the table to his godfather, who reached out and took him without a complaint. He should have known the minute he transferred attention to the baby someone was going to decide he had to hold him. At least now, though, he didn't look quite so fragile, and he definitely weighed a lot more than he had. Still…

"Cuddle him, Ian…"

Ian rolled his eyes, and cuddled the infant close.

"Did you have breakfast?" Sam asked, smiling at the way Jacob reached up and grabbed for Ian's chin, missed and ended up with a handful of skin on the cadet's neck.

"Yeah."

"Toast doesn't count as breakfast."

"I didn't have toast," Ian told her, trying to detach Jake's fingers from the death grip they had on his skin. "I had poptarts."

"Oh, that's much better…"

Sam shook her head, and stood up.

"I've got some work to get done in my lab… you guys aren't going anywhere until Teal'c gets back, so if you're not busy, would you be willing to give me a hand?"

He nodded, looking at Jack, who shooed him off.

"I'm supposed to be doing paperwork, so go on and have… fun…"

Since Jack was wearing the baby harness thing to carry Jake in, Ian handed the baby over to him, wincing as his neck was pinched hard. Little guy had a strong grip. Jack took his son and blew a raspberry on his little cheek, drawing his attention from Ian back to himself so he wouldn't fuss at the change of hands.

"Paperwork, huh?" Ian asked, standing up and straightening his shirt.

"Yup."

"So… we'll be seeing you in about half an hour or so, then…?"

Sam chuckled, and dragged Ian away before Jack could come up with a response, and Daniel looked over at his friend, not even trying to hide his own amusement.

"He sure knows you well, doesn't he?"

Jack scowled, and looked from Daniel down to Jacob, who was playing with the collar of his father's uniform.

"Come on, Jake. We don't have to put up with this crap, do we? Yeah. We'll show _them_ who can get their paperwork done…"

Putting his son in the carrier on his chest and belly, Jack stood up.

"I'll see you in a little bit," Daniel said as Jack headed for the door. He wasn't ready to start his day just yet – maybe one more cup of coffee. But he knew that by the time he was ready to go to his office and start cataloguing the things that the other SG teams had found the last three weeks, Jack would be tired of his paperwork – or bored – and would come looking for him. Especially if Sam and Ian were babbling to each other in technospeak.

Even a baby wasn't going to change some things, after all.

**The End**

_So! That's it for this story. Let me know what you thought. Favorite lines, least favorite. I know there are things that weren't addressed – like Ian's knowledge and new abilities – but they will be eventually. It's just part of the ongoing storyline. On my forum (the link is in my profile) I made a poll asking if people are getting burned out on the campers series and would prefer me to write other stories instead (non campers stories) so if you'd take a minute and go there or let me know in an email or a review your thoughts I'd appreciate it. Just remember that if you don't sign in or leave an email, I can't reply to you!_

_Thanks, guys!_


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